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ARIZONA SKETCHES 



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nature's MASOxNRY, grand canon of ARIZONA. 



ARIZONA 
SKETCHES 



By JOSEPH A MUNK, M.D 



ILLUSTRATED 




THE GRAFTON PRESS 
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK 






LIBRARY of 30NGRfcSS 
(wo Copies rtixeivcu 

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<>fcLrtSS O-y KAC. NOi 
COPV B. 



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Copyright igoj by 
THE GRAFTON PRESS 



CONTENTS 



Chapter page 

I. A ROMANTIC LAND 11 

II. MY FIRST TRIP TO ARIZONA 27 

III. THE OPEN RANGE 39 

IV. RANCH LIFE 55 

V. THE ROUND-UP 65 

VI. RANCH HAPPENINGS 78 

VII. A MODEL RANCH 90 

VIII. SOME DESERT PLANTS 102 

IX. HOOKER'S HOT SPRINGS 121 

X. CANON ECHOES 130 

XI. THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN 153 

XII. THE CLIFF DWELLERS 167 

XIII. THE MOQUI INDIANS 181 

XIV. A FINE CLIMATE .212 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

Nature's Masonry, Grand Canon of Arizona, Frontispiece.. 

San Xavier Church 10 

Sculptured Butte, Canon de Chelly 13 

Petrified Tree 13 

Casa Grande Ruin 17 

Soil Erosion in the Petrified Forest 17 

An Arizona Bouquet 21 

An Arizona Landscape 21 

Apache Pass 26 

PiNALENO Spring 2B 

Apache Indians Traveling on the San Carlos Road 29 

Fort Bowie 29 

PiNALENO Ranch , 35 

The Siesta 35 

Cattle Feedlng on the Open Range 41 

Leaving the Water Trough 41 

An Arizona Pastoral Scene 45 

An Open Range Pastt-re 45 

In a QuAND.'i.RY 49 

A "Stag Camp" 54 

PiNALENO Ranch Herd 54 

Ranch Cabin 57 

Cowboy Sport 57 

Roping a Maverick ()4 

The Round-up 64 

In Close Quarters 67 

A Cattle Drive 67 

Loading Cattle, Willcox 71 

WiLLcox Shipping Pens 71 

Guarding the Herd 75 

Kicking up a Dust 75 

Dave Drew 79 

Dos Cabez.\s Mountains 79 

Shopping at San Carlos S3 



(vii) 



viii ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Amoxg the Hills S3 

A Sierra Bonita Ranch Herd 91 

Col. Hooker and His Dogs 91 

Lake on the Sierra Bonita Ranch 95 

The Gila River 95 

A Bunch of Hooker Horses 99 

A Study in Faces 99 

WiLLcox, Arizona 103 

On the Verdi River 103 

Yucca 107 

A Mescal Field 107 

Spanish Bayonet Ill 

Saguaro Ill 

Palo Verde 115 

Coconino Forest 115 

Ocotillo 119 

Mesquite Forest near Tucson 119 

A Hot Water Draught 123 

Hooker's Hot Springs 123 

The Morning Bath 127 

A Quiet Xook 127 

On the Grand View Trail 131 

In the Coconino Forest 131 

Grand View Hotel 135 

Thurber's Stage Camp 135 

Sunset Mountain 139 

Looking into the Grand Canon 139 

Captain John Hance and His Cabin 145 

Aravaipa Canon 145 

Western Slope of the Meteorite Mountain 152 

Eastern Slope of the Meteorite' Mountain 152 

"The Crater," Meteorite Mountain 155 

White Sand on the Meteorite Mountain 155 

Casa Blanca, Canon de Chelly 159 

Volz's Ranch, Canon Diablo 163 

Cliff Houses, Canon del Muerto 163 

Cliff Ruins, Canon del Muerto 169 

CaS^on del Muerto 169 

Exploring the Canon 173 

On the Rim Trail 173 

Our Camp in Canon de Chelly 177 

Chin Lee, Canon de Chelly 177 



ILLUSTRATIONS ix 

PAGE 

MoQUi Girl, Orairi 183 

Water Carrier, Wal'-pi 183 

Wal'-pi 187 

Keam's Caxon School 187 

Mesa Trail Worn by Moccasixed Feet 191 

MoQui Cornfield, Wal'-pi in the Distance 19] 

Notice on Snake Kiva, Requesting Visitors to Behave 195 

Snake Priests, Oraibi ] 9,5 

The Snake Dance at Orairi 199 

Washing Ceremony, aftek the Snake Dance ]P0 

Taking the Emetic 203 

MoQux Girls Prepared to Sprinkle the Sacred Meal 203 

Tom Polaki 207 

On the Moqui Trail 207 

San Francisco Mountain 213 

Camping on the Colorado Platealt 213 

Depot Hotel, Yuma 217 

Lava Beds .17 

Navajo Shepherd 221 

A Navajo Courier 221 

Winner of the Foot Race 225 

Street Scene in Old Tucson 225 




SAN XAVIEU CHURCH. 



ARIZONA SKETCHES 



CHAPTER I 



A ROMANTIC LAND 



A STRANGER on first entering Arizona is impressed 
with the newness and wildness that surrounds iiim. 
- Indeed, the change is so great that it seems hke going 
to sleep and waking up in a new world. Everything that he 
sees is different from the familiar objects of his home, and 
he is filled with wonder and amazement at the many curious 
things that are brought to his notice. Judging the country 
by what is common back east, the average man is disappointed 
and prejudiced against what he sees; but, estimated on its 
merits, it is found to be a land of many attractions and great 
possibilities. 

A hasty trip through the country by rail gives no adequate 
idea of its intrinsic value, as such a limited view only affords 
a superficial glimpse of wdiat should be leisurely and care- 
fully examined to be properly understood or appreciated. At 
the first glance it presents the appearance of a desert, but to 
one who is acquainted with its peculiarities it is by no means 
desolate. It furnishes a strong contrast to the rolling wood- 
lands of the far east, and to the boundless prairies of the 



12 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

middle west ; and, though it may never develop on the plan 
of the older states, like California, it has an individuality and 
charm of its own ; and its endowment of natural wealth and 
beauty requires no borrowing from neighbors to give it char- 
acter or success. 

It has grand scenery, a salubrious climate, productive soil, 
rich mineral deposits and rare archaeological remains. It 
also has a diversified fauna and flora. The peccary, Gila 
monster, tarantula, centipede, scorpion and horned toad are 
specimens of its strange animal life ; and, the numerous 
species of cacti, yucca, maguey, palo verde and mistletoe are 
samples of its curious vegetation. It is, indeed, the scien- 
tist's Paradise where much valuable material can be found to 
enrich almost every branch of natural science. 

Hitherto its growth has been greatly retarded by its re- 
mote position in Uncle Sam's domain ; but, with the com- 
paratively recent advent of the railroad, the influx of capital 
and population, and the suppression of the once dreaded and 
troublesome Apache, a new life has been awakened that is 
destined to redeem the country from its ancient lethargy and 
make it a land of promise to many home seekers and set- 
tlers. 

When the Spaniards under Coronado first entered the land 
more than three hundred and fifty years ago in search of the 
seven cities of Cibola, they found upon the desert sufficient 
evidence of an extinct race to prove that the land was once 
densely populated by an agricultural and prosperous people. 
When or how the inhabitants disappeared is unknown and 
may never be known. It is even in doubt who they were, 
but, presumably, they were of the Aztec or Toltec race ; or, 
perhaps, of some civilization even more remote. 

The Pueblo Indians are supposed to be their descendants, 
but, if so, they were, when first found, as ignorant of their 




SCULPTURED BUTTE, CAXON DE CHELLY. 




F'S'r •4?'-f^ 



'^ 



PETRIFIED TREE. 



A ROMANTIC LAND 15 

ancestors as they were of their discoverers. When questioned 
as to the past they could give no intelUgent answer as to their 
antecedents, but claimed that what the white man saw was 
the work of Montezuma. All that is known of this ancient 
people is what the rums show, as they left no written record 
or even tradition of their life, unless it be some inscriptions 
consisting of various hieroglyphics and pictographs that are 
found painted upon the rocks, which undoubtedly have a 
meaning, but for lack of interpretation remain a sealed book. 
The deep mystery in which they are shrouded makes their 
history all the more interesting and gives unlimited scope 
for speculation. 

Arizona is a land that is full of history as well as mystery 
and invites investigation. It has a fascination that every 
one feels who crosses its border. Paradoxical as it may seem 
it is both the oldest and newest portion of our country — the 
oldest in ancient occupation and civilization and the nev/est 
in modern progress. In natural wonders it boasts of the 
Grand Cafion of Arizona, the painted desert, petrified forest, 
meteorite mountain, natural bridge, Montezuma's well and 
many other marvels of nature. There are also ruins galore, 
the cave and cliff dwellings, crumbled pueblos, extensive 
acequias, painted rocks, the casa grande and old Spanish mis- 
sions. Anyone who is in search of the old and curious, need 
not go to foreign lands, but can find right here at home in 
Arizona and the southwest, a greater number and variety of 
curiosities than can be found in the same space anywhere 
else upon the globe. 

Arizona is a land of strong contrasts and constant surprises, 
where unusual conditions prevail and the unexpected frequently 
happens. 

From the high Colorado plateau of northern Arizona the 
land slopes toward the southwest to the Gulf of California. 



16 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

Across this long slope of several hundred miles in width, 
numerous mountain ranges stretch from the northwest to the 
southeast. Through the middle of the Territory from east to 
west, flows the Gila river to its confluence with the Colorado. 
This stream marks the dividing line between the mountains 
which descend from the north and those that extend south, 
which increase in altitude and extent until they culminate in 
the grand Sierra Madres of Mexico. 

The traveler in passing through the country never gets 
entirely out of the sight of mountains. They rise up all about 
him and bound the horizon near and far in every direction. 
In riding along he always seems to be approaching some dis- 
tant mountain barrier that ever recedes before him as he 
advances. He is never clear of the encircling mountains 
for, as often as he passes out of one inclosure through a gap 
in the mountains, he finds himself hemmed in again by a 
new one. The peculiarity of always being in the midst of 
mountains and yet never completely surrounded, is due to 
an arrangement of dovetailing or overlapping in their 
formation. His winding way leads him across barren 
wastes, through fertile valleys, among rolling hills and into 
sheltered parks, which combine an endless variety of at- 
tractive scenery. 

An Arizona landscape, though mostly of a desert type, is 
yet full of interest to the lover of nature. It presents a 
strangely fascinating view, that once seen, will never be for- 
gotten. It stirs a rapture in the soul that only nature can 
inspire. 

Looking out from some commanding eminence, a wide 
spreading and diversified landscape is presented to view. 
Though hard and rugged, the picture, as seen at a distance, 
looks soft and smooth and its details of form and color make 
an absorbing study. 












CASA GRAXDE KUIX. 




t**w; 






SOIL EROSION IN THE PETRIFIED FOREST. 



A ROMANTIC LAND 19 

The eye is quick to note the different hues that appear in 
the field of vision and readily selects five predominating 
colors, namely, gray, green, brown, purple and blue, which 
mingle harmoniously in various combinations with almost 
every other color that is known. The most brilliant lights, 
sombre shadows, exquisite tints and delicate tones are seen 
which, if put on canvas and judged by the ordinary, would 
be pronounced exaggerated and impossible by those unfamil- 
iar with the original. 

The prevailing color is gray, made by the dry grass and 
sandy soil, and extends in every direction to the limit of vision. 
The gramma grass of the arid region grows c|uickly and turns 
gray instead of brown, as grasses usually do when they 
mature. It gives to the landscape a subdued and cjuiet color, 
which is pleasing to the eye and makes the ideal background 
in a picture. 

Into this warp of gray is woven a woof of green, spreading 
in irregular patches in all directions. It is made by the 
chaparral, which is composed of a \'ariety of desert plants 
that are native to the soil and can live on ver)' little water. 
It consists of live oak, pinon, mesquite, desert willow, grease 
wood, sage brush, palmilla, maguey, yucca and cacti and is 
mostly evergreen. 

The admixture of gray and green prevails throughout the 
year except during the summer rainy season, when, if the 
rains are abundant, the gray disappears almost entirely, and 
the young grass springs up as by magic, covering the whole 
country with a carpet of living green. In the midst of the 
billowy grass myriads of wild flowers bloom, and stand single 
or shoulder to shoulder in masses of solid color by the 
acre. 

Upon the far mountains is seen the sombre brown in the 
bare rocks. The whole region was at one time violently 



20 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

disturbed by seismic force and the glow of its quenched fires 
has even yet scarcely faded awa}'. Large masses of igneous 
rocks and broad streams of vitrified lava bear mute testimony 
of the change, when, by some mighty subterranean force, the 
tumultuous sea was rolled back from its pristme bed and, in 
its stead, lofty mountains lifted their bald heads above the 
surrounding desolation, and stand to-day as they have stood 
in massive grandeur ever since the ancient days of their 
upheaval. Rugged and bleak they tower high, or take the 
form of pillar, spire and dome, in some seemingly well-con- 
structed edifice erected by the hand of man. But the moun- 
tains are not all barren. Vast areas of fertile soil flank the 
bare rocks where vegetation has taken root, and large fields 
of forage and extensive forests of oak and pine add value and 
beauty to the land. 

The atmosphere is a striking feature of the country that is 
as pleasing to the eye as it is invigorating to the body. Over 
all the landscape hangs a veil of soft, purple haze that is be- 
witching. It gives to the scene a mysterious, subtle some- 
thing that is exquisite and holds the senses in a magic spell 
of enchantment. 

Distance also is deceptive and cannot be estimated as 
under other skies. The far-off mountains are brought near 
and made to glow in a halo of mellow light. Manifold ocular 
illusions appear in the mirage and deceive the uninitiated. An 
indefinable dreamy something steals over the senses and en- 
thralls the soul. 

Arching heaven's high dome is a sky of intense blue that 
looks so wonderfully clear and deep that even far-famed Italy 
cannot surpass it. The nights are invariably clear and the 
moon and stars appear unusually bright. The air is so pure 
that the stars seem to be advanced in magnitude and can be 
seen quite low down upon the horizon. 







AN ARIZONA BOUQUET. 




AN AIUZONA LANDSCArE. 



A ROMANTIC LAND 23 

The changing Hghts that flash in the sky transform both 
the sunrise and sunset into marvels of beauty. In the mellow 
afterglow of the sunset, on the western sky, stream long 
banners of light, and fleecy clouds of gold melt away and 
fade in the twilight. 

At midday in the hazy distance, moving slowly down the 
valley, can be seen spiral columns of dust that resemble 
pillars of smoke. They ascend perpendicularly, incline like 
Pisa's leaning tower, or are bent at various angles, but always 
retaining the columnar form. They rise to great heights 
and vanish in space. These spectral forms are caused by 
small local whirlwinds when the air is otherwise calm, and are, 
apparently, without purpose, unless they are intended merely 
to amuse the casual observer. 

A cloudy day is rare and does not necessarily signify rain. 
Usually the clouds are of the cumulus variety and roll 
leisurely by in billowy masses. Being in a droughty land 
the clouds always attract attention viewed either from an 
artistic or utilitarian standpoint. When out on parade they 
float lazily across the sky, casting their moving shadows be- 
low. The figures resemble a mammoth pattern of crazy 
patchwork in a state of evolution spread out for inspection. 

The impression that is made while looking out upon such 
a scene is that of deep silence. Everything is hushed and 
still ; but, by listening attentively, the number of faint sounds 
that reach the ear in an undertone is surprising. The soft 
soughing of the wind in the trees ; the gentle rustle of the 
grass as it is swayed by the passing breeze ; the musical 
ripple of water as it gurgles from the spring ; the piping of 
the quail as it calls to its mate; the twitter of little birds 
flitting from bush to bough ; the chirp of the cricket and 
drone of the beetle are among the sounds that are heard and 
fall soothingly upon the ear. 



24 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

The trees growing upon the hillside bear a striking resem- 
blance to an old orchard and are a reminder of home where 
in childhood the hand delighted to pluck luscious fruit from 
drooping boughs. A walk among the trees makes it easy to 
imagine that you are in some such familiar but neglected 
haunt, and instinctively you look about expecting to see the 
old house that was once called home and hear the welcome 
voice and footfall of cherished memory. It is no little dis- 
appointment to be roused from such a reverie to find the 
resemblance only a delusion and the spot deserted. Forsaken 
as it has been for many years by the native savage Indians 
and prowling wild beasts, the land waits in silence and patience 
the comins: of the husbandman. 




APACHE PASS. 




PIXALEXO SPRING. 



MY FIRST TRIP TO ARIZONA 



CHAPTER II 



MY FIRST TRIP TO ARIZONA 



I RECALL with vivid distinctness my first trip to Ari- 
zona and introduction to ranch hfe in the spring of 
1884. The experience made a deep impression and 
has led me to repeat the visit many times since then, with 
increased interest and pleasure. 

During the previous year my brother located a cattle ranch 
for us in Railroad Pass in southeastern Arizona. The gap 
is one of a series of natural depressions in a succession of 
mountain chains on the thirty-second parallel route, all the 
way from New Orleans to San Francisco over a distance of 
nearly twenty-five hundred miles. The Southern Pacific 
Railroad is built upon this route and has the easiest grade of 
any transcontinental line. 

Railroad Pass is a wide break between two mountain ranges 
and is a fine grazing section. It is handsomely bounded and 
presents a magnificent view. To the north are the Pinaleno 
mountains, with towering Mt. Graham in their midst, that 
are nearly eleven thousand feet high and lie dark in the 
shadows of their dense pine forests. Far to the south rise 
the rugged Chiricahuas, and nearby stands bald Dos Cabezas, 
whose giant double head of granite can be seen as a conspic- 
uous landmark over a wide scope of country. The distance 



28 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

across the Pass as the crow flies is, perhaps, fifty miles. 
Be}'ond these peaks other mountains rise in majestic grandeur 
and bound the horizon in every direction. 

At the time that the ranch was located the Pass country 
was considered uninhabitable because of the scarcity of water 
and the presence of hostile Indians. No permanent spring 
nor stream of water was known to exist in that whole region, 
but fine gramma grass grew everywhere. Its suitability as 
a cattle range was recognized and caused it to be thoroughly 
prospected for water, which resulted in the discovery of 
several hidden springs. All of the springs found, but one, 
were insignificant and either soon went dry or fluctuated 
with the seasons ; but the big spring, known as Pinaleno, 
was worth finding, and flows a constant stream of pure, soft 
water that fills a four-inch iron pipe. 

When the spring was discovered not a drop of water was 
visible upon the surface, and a patch of willows was the only 
indication of concealed moisture. By sinking a shallow well 
only a few feet -deep among the willows, water was struck as 
it flowed through coarse gravel over a buried ledge of rock 
that forced the water up nearly to the surface only to sink 
again in the sand without being seen. A ditch was dug to 
the well from below and an iron pipe laid in the trench, through 
which the water is conducted into a reservoir that supplies 
the water troughs. 

Again, when the ranch was opened the Indians were bad 
in the vicinity and had been activ^ely hostile for some time. 
The ranch is on a part of the old Chiricahua reservation that 
was once the home and hunting grounds of the tribe of 
Chiricahua Apaches, the most bold and warlike of all the 
southwest Indians. Cochise was their greatest warrior, but 
he was only one among many able Apache chieftains. He 
was at one time the friend of the white man, but treachery 




APACHE INDIANS TRAVELING ON THE SAN CARLOS ROAD. 




FOKT HOWIE. 



MY FIRST TRIP TO ARIZONA 31 

aroused his hatred and caused him to seek revenge on every 
white man that crossed his path. 

His favorite haunt was Apache Pass, a convenient spot 
that was favorable for concealment, where he lay in wait for 
weary travelers who passed that way in search of water and 
a pleasant camp ground. If attacked by a superior force, as 
sometimes happened, he invariably retreated across the Sul- 
phur Spring valley into his stronghold in the Dragoon 
mountains. 

Because of the many atrocities that were committed by 
the Indians, white men were afraid to go into that country 
to settle. Even as late as in the early eighties when that 
prince of rascals, the wily Geronimo, made his bloody raids 
through southern Arizona, the men who did venture in and 
located ranch and mining claims, lived in daily peril of their 
lives which, in not a few instances, were paid as a forfeit to 
their daring. 

The Butterfield stage and all other overland travel to Cali- 
fornia by the southern route before the railroads were built, 
went through Apache Pass. Although it was the worst 
Indian infested section in the southwest, travelers chose that 
dangerous route in preference to any other for the sake of 
the water that they knew could always be found there. 

The reputation of Apache Pass, finally became so notori- 
ously bad because of the many murders committed that the 
Government, late in the sixties, built and garrisoned P't. Bowie 
for the protection of travelers and settlers. The troops 
stationed at the post endured much hardship and fought 
many bloody battles before the Indians were conquered. 
Many soldiers were killed and buried in a little graveyard 
near the fort. When the fort was abandoned a few years 
ago, their bodies were disinterred and removed to the Na- 
tional cemetery at Washington. 



32 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

Railroad Pass is naturally a better wagon road than Apache 
Pass, but is without water. It was named by Lieut. J. G. 
Parke in 1855 while engaged in surveying for the Pacific 
Railroad, because of its easy grade and facility for railroad 
construction. 

I timed my visit to correspond with the arrival at Bowie 
station on the Southern Pacific Railroad, of a consignment of 
ranch goods that had been shipped from St. Louis. I was 
met at the depot by the ranch force, who immediately pro- 
ceeded to initiate me as a tenderfoot. I inquired of one 
of the cowboys how far it w^as to a near-by mountain. He 
gave a qiiicn sabc shrug of the shoulder and answered 
me in Yankee fashion by asking how far I thought it was. 
Estimating the distance as in a prairie country I replied, 
" Oh, about a mile." He laughed and said that the mountain 
was fully five miles distant by actual measurement. I had 
unwittingly taken my first lesson in plainscraft and pru- 
dently refrained thereafter from making another sure guess. 

The deception was due to the rarefied atmosphere, which 
is peculiar to the arid region. It not only deceives the eye 
as to distance, but also as to motion. If the eye is steadily 
fixed upon some distant inanimate object, it seems to move 
in the tremulous light as if possessed of life, and it is not 
always easy to be convinced to the contrary. However, by 
putting the object under inspection in line with some further 
object, it can readily be determined whether the object is 
animate or still by its remaining on or moving off the line. 

Another peculiarity of the country is that objects do not 
always seem to stand square with the world. In approaching 
a mountain and moving on an up grade the plane of incline 
is suddenly reversed and gives the appearance and sensation 
of going downhill. In some inexjjlicable manner sense and 
reason seem to conflict and the discovery of the disturbed 



MY FIRST TRIP TO ARIZONA 33 

relation of things is startling. You know very well that the 
mountain ahead is above you, but it has the appearance of 
standing below you in a hollow ; and the water in the brook 
at your feet, which runs down the mountain into the valley, 
seems to be running uphill. By turning squarely about and 
looking backwards, the misplaced objects become righted, and 
produces much the same sensation that a man feels who is 
lost and suddenly finds himself again. 

We immediately prepared to drive out to the ranch, which 
was ten miles distant and reached by a road that skirted the 
Dos Cabezas mountains. The new wagon was set up and 
put in running order and lightly loaded with supplies. All 
of the preliminaries being completed, the horses were har- 
nessed and hooked to the wagon. The driver mounted his 
seat, drew rein and cracked his whip, but we didn't go. The 
horses were only accustomed to the saddle and knew nothing 
about pulling in harness. Sam was a condemned cavalry 
horse and Box was a native bronco, and being hitched to a 
wagon was a new experience to both. The start was unpro- 
pitious, but, acting on the old adage that *' necessity is the 
mother of invention," which truth is nowhere better exem- 
plified than on the frontier where conveniences are few and 
the most must be made of everything, after some delay and 
considerable mineuvering we finally got started. 

The road for some distance out was level and smooth and 
our progress satisfactory. As we drove leisurely along I 
improved the opportunity to look about and see the sights. 
It was a perfect day in April and there never was a brighter 
sky nor balmier air than beamed and breathed upon us. The 
air was soft and tremulous with a magical light that produced 
startling phantasmagoric effects. 

It was my first sight of a mirage and it naturally excited 
my curiosity. It seemed as if a forest had suddenly sprung 



34 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

up in the San Simon valley where just before had appeared 
only bare ground. With every change in the angle of vision 
as we journeyed on, there occurred a corresponding change 
in the scene before us that produced a charming kaleidoscopic 
effect. The rough mountain was transformed into a symmet- 
rical city and the dry valley into a lake of sparkling water, — 
all seeming to be the work of magic in some fairyland of 
enchantment. 

In a ledge of granite rock by the wayside were cut a num- 
ber of round holes which the Indians had made and used as 
mills for grinding their corn and seeds into meal. Nearby 
also, were some mescal pits used for baking the agave, a 
native plant that is in great demand as food by the Indians. 
The spot was evidently an old rendezvous where the maraud- 
ing Apaches were accustomed to meet in council to plan 
their bloody raids, and to feast on mescal and pinole in honor 
of some successful foray or victory over an enemy. 

We next crossed several well-worn Indian trails which the 
Apaches had made by many years of travel to and fro between 
their rancherias in the Mogollon mountains and Mexico. The 
sight of these trails brought us back to real life and a con- 
scious sense of danger, for were we not in an enemy's country 
and in the midst of hostile Indians ? Nearly every mile of 
road traveled had been at some time in the past the scene of 
a bloody tragedy enacted by a savage foe. Even at that very 
time the Apaches were out on the warpath murdering people, 
but fortunately we did not meet them and escaped unmo- 
lested. 

The road now crossed a low hill, which was the signal for 
more trouble. The team started bravely up the incline, but 
soon stopped and then balked and all urging with whip and 
voice failed to make any impression. After several ineffect- 
ual attempts to proceed it was decided not to waste any more 




PINALENO RANCH. 




riii; .sii:.si a. 



MY FIRST TRIP TO ARIZONA 37 

time in futile efforts. The horses were unhitched and the 
wagon partly unloaded, when all hands by a united pull and 
push succeeded in getting the wagon up the hill. After re- 
loading no difficulty was experienced in making a fresh start 
on a down grade, but a little farther on a second and larger 
hill was encountered, when the failure to scale its summit was 
even greater than the first. No amount of coaxing or urg- 
ing budged the horses an inch. They simply were stubborn 
and would not pull. 

Night was approaching and camp was yet some distance 
ahead. The driver suggested that the best thing to do under 
the circumstances was for the rest of us to take the led 
horses and ride on to camp, while he would remain with the 
wagon and, if necessary, camp out all night. We reluctantly 
took his advice, mounted our horses and finished our journey 
in the twilight. Aaron, who was housekeeper at the ranch, 
gave us a hearty welcome and invited us to sit down to a 
bountiful supper which he had prepared in anticipation of our 
coming. Feeling weary after our ride we retired early and 
were soon sound asleep. The only thing that disturbed our 
slumbers during the night was a coyote concert which, as "a 
concord of sweet sounds " was a dismal failure, but as a med- 
ley of discordant sounds was a decided success. The bark 
of the coyote is particularly shrill and sharp and a single 
coyote when in full cry sounds like a chorus of howling curs. 

We were all up and out early the next morning to witness 
the birth of a new day. The sunrise was glorious, and bright 
colors in many hues flashed across the sky. The valley 
echoed with the cheerful notes of the mocking bird and the 
soft air was filled with the fragrance of wild flowers. The 
scene was grandly inspiring and sent a thrill of pleasure 
through every nerve. 

While thus absorbed by the beauties of nature we heard 



38 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

an haDoo, and looking^ clown the road in the direction of the 
driver's bivouac we saw him coming swinging his hat in the 
air and driving at a rapid pace that soon brought him to the 
ranch house. In answer to our inquiries as to how he had 
spent the night he reported that the horses stood quietly in 
their tracks all night long, while he slept comfortably in the 
wagon. In the morning the horses started without undue 
urging as if tired of inaction and glad to go in the direction 
of provender. They were completely broken by their fast 
and after that gave no further trouble. 

After a stay of four weeks, learning something of the ways 
of ranch life and experiencing not a few exciting adventures, 
I returned home feeling well pleased with my first trip to the 
ranch. 



THE OPEN RANGE 39 



CHAPTER HI 



THE OPEN RANGE 



A RIZONA is in the arid belt and well adapted to the 
Z—m range cattle industry. Its mild climate and limited 
-*^ -^ water supply make it the ideal range country. In- 
deed, to the single factor of its limited water supply, perhaps, 
more than anything else is its value due as an open range. 
If water was abundant there could be no open range as then 
the land would all be farmed and fenced. 

Arizona is sometimes spoken of as belonging to the plains, 
but it is not a prairie country. Mountains are everywhere, 
but are separated in many places by wide valleys. The 
mountains not only make fine scenery, but are natural bound- 
aries for the ranches and give shade and shelter to the 
cattle. 

There are no severe storms nor blizzard swept plains where 
cattle drift and perish from cold. The weather is never ex- 
tremely cold, the mercury seldom falling to more than a few 
degrees below freezing, except upon the high plateaus and 
mountains of northern Arizona. If it freezes during the night 
the frost usually disappears the next day ; and, if snow flies, 
it lies only on the mountains, but melts as fast as it falls in 
the valleys. There are but few cloudy or stormy days in the 
year and bright, warm sunshine generally prevails. There 



40 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

has never been any loss of cattle from cold, but many have 
died from drought as a result of overstocking the range. 

' The pastures consist of valley, mesa and mountain lands 
which, in a normal season, are covered by a variety of nutri- 
tious grasses. Of all the native forage plants the gramma 
grass is the most abundant and best. It grows only in the 
summer rainy season when, if the rains are copious, the gray 
desert is converted into a vast green meadow. 

The annual rainfall is comparatively light and insufficient 
to grow and mature with certainty any of the cereal crops. 
When the summer rains begin to fall the rancher is "jubi- 
lant " and the " old cow smiles." Rain means even more to 
the ranchman than it does to the farmer. In an agricultural 
country it is expected that rain or snow will fall during every 
month of the year, but on the range rain is expected only 
in certain months and, if it fails to fall then, it means failure, 
in a measure, for the entire year. 

Rain is very uncertain in Arizona. July and August are 
the rain months during which time the gramma grass grows. 
Unless the rain falls daily after it begins it does but little 
good, as frequent showers are required to keep the grass grow- 
ing after it once starts. A settled rain of one or more days' 
duration is of rare occurrence. During the rainy season and, 
in fact, at all times, the mornings are usually clear. In the 
forenoon the clouds begin to gather and pile up in dark bil- 
lowy masses that end in showers during the afternoon and 
evening. But not every rain cloud brings rain. Clouds of 
this character often look very threatening, but all their dis- 
play of thunder and lightning is only bluff and bluster and 
ends in a fizzle with no rain. After such a demonstration 
the clouds either bring wind and a disagreeable dust storm, 
or, if a little rain starts to fall, the air is so dry that it eva- 
porates in mid air, and none of it ever reaches the earth. In 




CATTLE FEEDING ON THE OPEN RANGE. 




LEAVING THE WATER TROUGH. 



THE OPEN RANGE 43 

this fashion the clouds often threaten to do great things, only 
to break their promise ; and the anxious rancher stands and 
gazes at the sky with longing eyes, only to be disappointed 
again and again. 

As a rule water is scarce. A long procession of cloudless 
days merge into wrecks of dry weather ; and the weeks glide 
into months during which time the brazen sky refuses to 
yield one drop of moisture either of dew or rain to the parched 
and thirsty earth. Even the rainy season is not altogether 
reliable, but varies considerably one year with another in the 
time of its appearance and continuance. 

The soil is sandy and porous and readily absorbs water, 
except where the earth is tramped and packed hard by the 
cattle. One peculiarity of the country as found marked 
upon the maps, and that exists in fact, is the diminution and 
often complete disappearance of a stream after it leaves the 
mountains. If not wholly lost upon entering the valley the 
water soon sinks out of sight in the sand and disappears and 
reappears at irregular intervals, until it loses itself entirely 
in some underground channel and is seen no more. 

Many a pleasant valley in the range country is made 
desolate by being destitute of any surface spring or running 
brook, or water that can be found at any depth. Occa- 
sionally a hidden fountain is struck by digging, but it is only 
by the merest chance. Wells have been dug to great depths 
in perfectly dry ground in an eager search for water without 
finding it, and such an experience is usually equivalent to a 
failure and the making of a useless bill of expense. 

A never-failing spring of good water in sufficient quantity 
to supply the needs of a ranch in the range country is of 
rare occurrence, considering the large territory to be sup- 
plied. Only here and there at long intervals is such a spring 
found, and it is always a desirable and valuable property. 



44 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

It makes an oasis in the desert that is an agreeable change 
from the surrounding barrenness, and furnishes its owner, if 
properly utilized, a comfortable subsistence for himself and 
herds. His fields produce without fail and the increase of 
his flocks and herds is sure. 

The isolated rancher who is well located is independent. 
He is in no danger of being crowded by his neighbors nor his 
range becoming over stocked with stray cattle. His water 
right gives him undisputed control of the adjacent range, even 
though he does not own all the land, which is an unwritten 
law of the range and respected by all cattlemen. 

Because of the scarcity of water the range country is 
sparsely settled and always will be until more water is pro- 
vided by artificial means for irrigation. Even then a large 
portion of the land will be worthless for any other purpose 
than grazing, and stock-growing on the open range in Ari- 
zona will continue to be a staple industry in the future as it 
has been in the past. 

The range is practically all occupied and, in many places, 
is already over stocked. Where more cattle are run on a 
range than its grass and water can support there is bound to 
be some loss. In stocking a range an estimate should be 
made of its carrying capacity in a bad year rather than in a 
good one, as no range can safely carry more cattle than it 
can support in the poorest year ; like a chain, it is no stronger 
than its weakest link. 

A good range is sometimes destroyed by the prairie dog. 
Wherever he establishes a colony the grass soon disappears. 
He burrows in the ground and a group of such holes is called 
a dog town. Like the jack-rabbit he can live without water 
and is thus able to keep his hold on the desert. The only 
way to get rid of him is to kill him, which is usually done by 
the wholesale with poison. His flesh is fine eating, which the 




AX ARIZONA PASTORAL SCENE. 



'« 



#f •^^ t.' "^it'^^'jJil^f, '-^ 





AN OPEN RANGE PASTURE. 



THE OPEN RANGE 47 

Navajo knows if the white man does not. The Navajo con- 
siders him a dainty morsel which is particularly relished by 
the sick. If a patient can afford the price, he can usually 
procure a prairie dog in exchange for two sheep. 

The Navajo is an adept at capturing this little animal. The 
hunter places a small looking-glass near the hole and, in 
concealment near by, he patiently awaits developments. 
When the prairie dog comes out of his hole to take an airing 
he immediately spies his reflection m the glass and takes it 
for an intruder. In an instant he is ready for a fight and 
pounces upon his supposed enemy to kill or drive him away. 
While the prairie dog is thus engaged wrestling with his 
shadow or reflection the hunter shoots him at close range with 
his bow and arrow — never with a gun, for if wounded by a 
bullet he is sure to drop into his hole and is lost, but the 
arrow tranfixes his body and prevents him from getting away. 
He has been hunted so much in the Navajo country that he 
has become very scarce.* 

Much of the range country in southern Arizona is destitute 
of trees, and shade, therefore, is scarce. Upon the high 
mountains and plateaus of northern Arizona there are great 
forests of pine and plenty of shade. But few cattle range 
there in comparison to the large numbers that graze on the 
lower levels further south. What little tree growth there is 
on the desert is stunted and supplies but scant shade. In 
the caiions some large Cottonwood, sycamore and walnut trees 
can be found ; upon the foot hills the live oak and still higher 
up the mountain the pine. Cattle always seek the shade and 
if there are no trees they will lie down in the shade of a bush 
or anything that casts a shadow. The cattle are so eager for 
shade that if they can find nothing better they will crowd 



* This statement is made on the authority of Mr. F. W. Volz, who lives at 
Canon Diablo, and is familiar with the customs of the Navajos. 



48 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

into the narrow ribbon of shade that is cast by a columnar 
cactus or telegraph pole and seem to be satisfied with ever 
so little if only shade is touched. 

Twenty years ago before there were many cattle on the 
southwestern range, the gramma grass stood knee high every- 
where all over that country and seemed to be an inexhaustible 
supply of feed for an unlimited number of cattle during an 
indefinite term of years. It was not many years, however, 
after the large herds were turned loose on the range until 
the grass was all gone and the ground, except in a few fa- 
vored spots, left nearly as bare of grass as the traveled road. 
At the present time whatever grass there is must grow each 
year which, even in a favorable year, is never heavy. If the 
summer rains fail, no grass whatever can grow and the cattle 
are without feed. The grass about the springs and water 
holes is first to disappear and then the cattle must go farther 
and farther from water to find any grass. When cattle are 
compelled to travel over long distances in going from grass 
to water, they naturally grow thin from insufficient food and 
are worn out by the repeated long journeys. A cow that is 
thin and weak will postpone making the trip as long as pos- 
sible — two, three and even four days in the hottest weather 
she will wait before attempting the trip. At last, when the 
poor creature reaches water, she is so famished from thirst 
that she drinks too much. In her feeble condition she is 
unable to carry the enormous load of water which she drinks 
and lies down by the side of the friendly water trough to die 
from exhaustion. 

If cattle are turned loose upon a new range they act strange 
and are inclined to scatter. Until they become accustomed 
to the change they should be close herded, but after they 
are once located they are not liable to stray very far. 

As they are only worked by men on horseback they are 




IX A QUAXDARY. 



THE OPEN RANGE 51 

not frightened at the sight of a horse and rider ; but let a 
stranger approach them on foot, in a moment after he is 
sighted every head is raised in surprise and alarm and the 
pedestrian is, indeed, fortunate if the herd turns tail and 
scampers off instead of running him down and tramping him 
under foot in a wild stampede. 

Nowhere else can be found a finer sight than is witnessed 
in the range country. In every direction broad meadows 
stretch away to the horizon where numberless cattle roam 
and are the embodiment of bovine happiness and content- 
ment. Scattered about in irregular groups they are seen at 
ease lying down or feeding, and frisking about in an overflow 
of exuberant life. Cow paths or trails converge from every 
point of the compass, that lead to springs and water holes, 
on which the cattle travel. 

It is an interesting sight to watch the cattle maneuver as 
they form in line, single file, ready for the march. They 
move forward in an easy, deliberate walk one behind the other 
and may be seen coming and going in every direction. They 
make their trips with great regularity back and forth from 
grass to water, and vice versa, going to water in the morning 
and back to the feeding grounds at night. 

Cows have a curious fashion, sometimes, of hiding out 
their calves. When a cow with a young calf starts for 
water she invariably hides her calf in a bunch of grass or 
clump of bushes in some secluded spot, where it lies down 
and remains perfectly quiet until the mother returns. I 
have many times while riding the range found calves thus 
secreted that could scarcely be aroused or frightened away, 
which behavior was so different from their usual habit of 
being shy and running off at the slightest provocation. The 
calf vmder such circumstances seems to understand that it 
is " not at home," and cannot be seen. 



52 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

At another time a lot of calves are left in charge of a 
young cow or heifer that seems to understand her responsi- 
bility and guards her charge carefully. The young calves 
are too weak to make the long trip to water and thus, through 
the maternal instinct of the mother cow, she provides for the 
care of her offspring almost as if she were human. 

After viewing such a large pasture as the open range pre- 
sents, which is limitless in extent, the small fenced field or 
pasture lot of a few acres on the old home farm back east, 
that looked so large to boyish eyes in years gone by, dwindles 
by comparison into insignificance and can never again be re- 
stored to its former greatness. 




A "stag camp." 




nXALEXO UANCH HERD. 



RANCH LIFE 55 



CHAPTER IV 



RANCH LIFE 



RANCH life on the open range may be somewhat 
wild and lonely, but it is as free and independent to 
the rancher as it is to his unfettered cattle that 
roam at will over a thousand hills. As a place of residence 
for a family of women and children it is undesirable because 
of its isolation and lack of social and educational privileges ; 
but for a man who cares to " rough it " it has a rare fascina- 
tion. Its freedom may mean lonesomeness and its indepen- 
dence monotony, yet it is very enjoyable for a season. Like 
anything else it may become wearing and wearisome if con- 
tinued too long without a change, but its novelty has a charm 
that is irresistible. 

Ranch life is untrammeled by social conventionalities and 
is not burdened by business cares, but is an easy, natural life 
that is free from all kinds of pressure. It relieves the ten- 
sion of an artificial existence, and worry and vexation are 
forgotten. Time loses its rapid flight and once more jogs 
on at an easy pace ; and its complete isolation and quiet 
gives nature a chance to rest and recuperate 

" Away from the dwellings of careworn men." 

The environment of ranch life is highly conducive to good 



56 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

health. The scenery is delightful, the air pure and bracing, 
the food wholesome and nutritious, the couch comfortable 
and the sleep refreshing. Walking and riding furnish the 
necessary exercise that nature demands. Indeed, there is 
no better exercise to be found than riding horseback to 
stimulate sluggish organs, or excite to healthy action the 
bodily functions. It stirs the liver, causes deep breathing, 
strengthens the heart and circulation, tones the nerves and 
makes an aj^petite that waits on good digestion. An out- 
door life is often better than medicine and is a panacea for 
the " ills that human flesh is heir to." 

The ranchman, if he is in tune with his surroundings, finds 
a never-failing spring of j^leasure. If he is company for him- 
self he is well entertained and if he is a lover of nature he 
finds interesting subjects for study upon every hand. His 
wants are few and simple and the free life that he lives de- 
velops in him a strong and sturdy manhood. He is the pic- 
ture of health and is happy and contented as the day is long. 

However, such a life does not suit everyone, as individual 
tastes differ. Prejudice also exerts an influence and is apt 
to estimate all western life as crude and undesirable, being 
in a transition state of change from savagery to civilization. 
Be it even so ; for, if the savage had never existed to furnish 
the ancestry that civilized man boasts, civilization would not 
have been possible. It is only natural that this should be so 
as, in the order of nature, evolution begins at the bottom and 
works up. 

There is perhaps no condition in life that can be called 
perfect, yet of the two extremes we choose to believe that 
civilization is preferable to barbarism ; but an intermediate 
state has the ad\'antage over both extremes by avoiding 
native crudeness upon the one hand and excessive refinement 
unon the other, both being equally undesirable. 




HAXCH CABIX. 




rOWIiOY SPORT, 
riioto. by C. S. Fly. 



RANCH LIFE 59 

Happiness, which we all profess to seek, exists in some de- 
gree everywhere, but we are always striving to acquire some- 
thing more. In our constant struggle for improvement, 
progress undoubtedly is made in the right direction. With 
refinement comes increased sensibility and an enlarged capa- 
city for enjoyment. But, such a state in itself is not one of 
unalloyed bliss, as might be supposed, since it is marred by 
its antithesis, an increased amount of sickness and suffering, 
which is the inevitable penalty of civilization. In such a 
progression the pleasures of life become more, but the acute- 
ness of suffering is also increased. The mistake lies in the 
fact that in our eager pursuit after the artificial we forget na- 
ture and not until we acquire a surfeit of that which is arti- 
ficial and grow weary of the shams and deceits of the world 
do we stop and think or turn again to nature to find the 
truth. 

In the early days the frontier was the rendezvous for rough 
and lawless characters of every description. That time has 
gone by never to return in the history of the nation, as the 
rustlers have either reformed and become good citizens or 
long ago left the country by the lead or hemp routes. The 
change in the times has been such that never again will it 
be possible to return to the conditions that existed in the 
early settlement of the west which gave to desperadoes a 
safe hiding place. 

The people now living on what is left of the frontier will, 
as a class, compare favorably with those of any other com- 
munity. There may be small surface polish, as the world 
goes, but there is much genuine gold of true character that 
needs only a little rubbing to make it shine. 

The population being sparse there is comparatively little 
opportunity or inclination for wrongdoing. Whatever any- 
body does is noticed at once and everything that happens is 



60 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

immediately found out. The favorite haunt of vice and crime 
is not in a sparsely settled community, public opinion to the 
contrary notwithstanding, but in the centers of population, in 
our large cities where temptation to do evil is strong and dark 
deeds find ready concealment in the mingling and confusion 
of the throng. 

The ranchman deserves to be correctly judged by his true 
character and not by any false standard that is artfully designed 
to misrepresent him or to unjustly bring him into contempt. 
He may have a rough exterior, not intending to pose in a 
model fashion plate, but in real life where he is tried there is 
found under his coarse garb a heart that is honest and true 
which responds with sympathy and kindness for anyone in 
distress ; and his generosity and hospitality are proverbial and 
stand without a rival. Men from every position in life, in- 
cluding college graduates and professional men, are engaged 
in ranching and whoever takes them to be a lot of toughs 
and ignoramuses is egregiously mistaken. 

The strength, virtue and intelligence of the nation is found 
in its large middle class of laboring people that is largely 
composed of farmers and mechanics, men who work with their 
hands and live natural lives and are so busy in some useful 
occupation that they have no time to think of mischief. In 
this favored land of freedom all of our great men have been 
of the common people and struggled up from some humble 
position. A life of toil may seem to be hard, but it conforms 
to nature and natural laws and favors the development of the 
best that is in man ; and he who shirks toil misses his oppor- 
tunity. Whatever tends to wean men from work only weakens 
them. Luxury and indolence travel on the downward road 
of degeneracy. They may make pleasant temporary indul- 
gence, but are fatal to ultimate success. 

Locomotion on a ranch consists almost entirely of horse- 



RANCH LIFE 61 

back riding, as walking is too slow and tiresome and wheeled 
conveyance is often inconvenient or impossible for cross-coun- 
try driving. When the ranchman mounts his horse in the 
morning to make his daily rounds he has a clear field before 
him. He is " monarch of all he surveys " and practically 
owns the earth, since his neighbors live many miles away and 
his road leads in any direction clear to the horizon. 

The average ranch is not intended to furnish luxuries, but 
to serve the best interests of the business in hand, that of 
growing cattle. It is usually a " stag camp " composed en- 
tirely of men who occupy a rude cabin near some convenient 
spring or stream of water, where they keep house in ranch 
style and live after a fashion. No money is ever expended 
in unnecessary improvements, but every dollar spent in re- 
pairs is put where it will do the most good. The house fur- 
nishings are all of the plainest kind and intended to meet 
only present necessities. The larder is not supplied with 
luxuries nor is the cuisine prolific of dainties, but there is al- 
ways on hand a supply of the necessaries of life. 

Every man has his particular work to perform, but unless 
it be on some large ranch where the force of men employed 
is sufhciently large to require the services of a chef, he is 
also expected to assist in keeping house. It is an unwritten 
law of the ranch that everybody on the place must share in 
this work and if anyone shirks his duty he must either 
promptly mend his ways or else quit his job. It is seldom, 
however, that this rule has to be enforced, as the necessities 
of the case require that every man shall be able to prepare a 
meal as he is liable to be left alone for days or weeks at a 
time when he must either cook or starve. 

The equipment of the cowboy is his horse and reata. 
They are his constant companions and serve his every pur- 
pose. His work includes much hard riding, which he greatly 



62 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

enjoys if no accident befalls him. But clashing on in heed- 
less speed while rounding up cattle he is ever liable to mis- 
haps, as his horse, although sure footed, may at any time 
step into a prairie dogs' hole or stumble on a loose rock that 
is liable to throw both horse and rider to the ground in a 
heap. He is, indeed, fortunate if he escapes unhurt, or only 
receives a few bruises and not a fractured bone or broken neck. 

His work consists in riding over the range and marking 
the condition of the cattle ; line riding to prevent the stock 
from straying ; looking after the springs and water holes and 
keeping them clean ; branding calves, gathering steers for 
market and assisting in the general work of the round-up. 
Every day has its duty and every season its particular work, 
yet there are times of considerable leisure during the year. 
After his day's work is done he repairs to the ranch house, 
or to some outlying camp, whichever happens to be nearest 
when night overtakes him, for every large ranch has one or 
more such camps posted at some convenient point that fur- 
nishes temporary shelter and refreshment, where he rests and 
eats his frugal meal with a relish that only health and rough 
riding can give. 

If he is at the home ranch in winter he spends the long 
evenings before an open hearth fire of blazing logs and by 
the light of the fire and the doubtful aid of a tallow dip 
lounges the hours away in reading and cogitation ; or, if in 
the company of congenial companions, engages in conversa- 
tion and pleasantry or any amusement that the party may 
select. At an early hour he turns in for the night and after 
a sound and refreshing sleep is up and out with the dawn. 
After breakfast he mounts his horse and in his striking and 
characteristic costume of broad sombrero, blue flannel shirt, 
fringed chaperejos and jingling spurs he rides forth to his 
work a perfect type of the gallant caballero. 




ROPIXG A MAVIiRICK. 




THE ROUND-UP. 

Photo, by C. S. Fly. 



THE ROUND-UP 65 



CHAPTER V 



THE ROUND-UP 



IN the range cattle business it is important for every 
owner of live stock to have some mark by which he can 
tell his own cattle. It is impossible for any man to re- 
member and recognize by natural marks every animal in a 
large herd. On the open range there are no fenced pastures 
to hold the cattle, but all are permitted to run free and mix 
promiscuously. To distinguish the cattle of different owners 
a system of earmarks and brands has been devised by which 
each ranchman can identify and claim his own stock. 

The branding is usually done during a round-up when 
every calf found is caught and branded in the brand of its 
mother. If a calf remains unbranded until after it is weaned 
and quits its mother, it becomes a maverick and is liable to 
be lost to its owner. A calf, if left to itself, will follow its 
mother for several months and then leave her to seek its own 
living. Occasionally a calf does not become weaned when it 
should be, but continues the baby habit indefinitely. If a 
yearling is found unweaned it is caught and "blabbed " which 
is done by fitting a peculiarly shaped piece of wood into its 
nose that prevents it from sucking but does not interfere 
with feeding. 

If a calf loses its mother while very young it is called a 



66 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

" leppy." Such an orphan calf is, indeed, a forlorn and forsaken 
little creature. Having no one to care for it, it has a hard time 
to make a living. If it is smart enough to share the lacteal 
ration of some more fortunate calf it does very well, but if it 
cannot do so and has to depend entirely on grazing for a liv- 
ing its life becomes precarious and is apt to be sacrificed in 
the " struggle for the survival of the fittest." 

If it survives the ordeal and lives it bears the same rela- 
tion to the herd as the maverick and has no lawful owner 
until it is branded. If an unbranded calf has left or lost its 
mother it has lost its identity as well and finds it again 
only after being branded, although it may have swapped 
owners in the process. Theoretically, a maverick belongs to 
the owner of the range on which it runs, but, practically, it 
becomes the property of the man who first finds and brands 
it. 

Although the branding is supposed to be done only during 
a round-up there is nevertheless some branding done in every 
month of the year. The ranchman is compelled to do so to 
save his calves from being stolen. Therefore early brand- 
ing is generally practiced as it has been found to be the best 
safeguard against theft. Either the spring or fall is considered 
a good time to brand, but the only best time to brand a calf 
is when you find it. 

Dishonest men are found in the cattle business the same 
as in other occupations and every year a large number of cattle 
are misappropriated and stolen from the range. Cattle have 
been stolen by the wholesale and large herds run off and 
illegally sold before the owner discovered his loss. Calf 
stealing, however, happens more frequently than the stealing 
of grown cattle and many ingenious devices have been in- 
vented to make such stealing a success. A common practice 
is to " sleeper " a calf by a partial earmark and a shallow 



*"., 


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l-4«i 


^^^ -^■. — ...^ ..^ iBf^Tifii*! 


5^*151 


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>yi^-^-^r**^V** 


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ip 


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to 


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IX CLOSE QUARTERS. 




A CATTLE DRIVE. 



THE ROUND-UP 69 

brand that only singes the hair but does not burn deep enough 
to leave a permanent scar. If the calf is not discovered as 
an imperfect or irregular brand and becomes a maverick, it 
is kept under surveillance by the thief until he considers it 
safe to finish the job when he catches it again and brands 
it with his own iron. 

Different methods are employed to win a calf and fit it for 
unlawful branding. Sometimes the calf is caught and staked 
out in some secluded spot where it is not liable to be found 
and away from its mother until it is nearly starved when it is 
branded by the thief and turned loose ; or, the calf's tongue 
is split so that it cannot suck and by the time that the 
wounded tongue has healed the calf has lost its mother, and 
the thief brands it for himself. Again, the mother cow is 
shot and killed, when the orphan calf is branded in perfect 
safety as "the dead tell no tales." 

The owner of cattle on the open range must be constantly 
on his guard against losses by theft. Usually the thief is a 
dishonest neighbor or one of his own cowboys who becomes 
thrifty at his employer's expense. Many a herd of cattle 
was begun without a single cow, but was started by branding 
surreptitiously other people's property. It is not an easy 
matter to detect such a thief or to convict on evidence when 
he is arrested and brought to trial. A cattle thief seldom 
works alone, but associates himself with others of his kind 
who will perjure themselves to swear each other clear. 

The cow ponies that are used in range work are small 
but active and possessed of great power of endurance. They 
are the descendants of the horses that were brought into 
Mexico by the Spaniards, some of which escaped into the 
wilderness and their increase became the wild horses of the 
plains. They are known by the various names of mustang, 
bronco and cayuse according to the local vernacular of the 



70 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

country in which they roam. They are wild and hard to 
conquer and are sometimes never fully broken even under the 
severest treatment. Bucking and pitching are their peculiar 
tricks for throwing a rider and such an experience invariably 
ends in discomfort if not discomfiture, for if the rider is not 
unhorsed he at least receives a severe shaking up in the 
saddle. 

The native cattle, like the horses, are small and wild, but 
are hardy and make good rustlers. The native stock has 
been greatly improved in recent years by cross breeding with 
thoroughbred Durham and Hereford bulls. Grade cattle are 
better suited for the open range than are pure bred animals, 
which are more tender and fare better in fenced pastures. 
By cross breeding the quality of range cattle has steadily im- 
proved until the scrub element has been almost bred out. 

As a breeding ground Arizona is unsurpassed, l)ut for ma- 
turing beef cattle the northern country is preferable. Thou- 
sands of young cattle are shipped out annually to stock the 
ranges of Wyoming and Montana and to fill the feed lots of 
Kansas, Missouri and other feeding states. A dash of native 
blood in range cattle is desirable as it enables them to endure 
hardships without injury and find subsistence in seasons of 
drought and scant forage. 

The general round-up occurs in the fall, just after the 
summer rains, when there is plenty of grass and the horses 
and cattle are in good condition. The ranchmen of a neigh- 
borhood meet at an appointed time and place and organize 
for systematic work. A captain is chosen who is in com- 
mand of the round-up and must be obeyed. Each cowboy 
has his own string of horses, but all of the horses of the round- 
up not in use are turned out to graze and herd together. A 
mess wagon and team of horses in charge of a driver, who is 
also the cook, hauls the outfit of pots, provisions and bedding. 




LOADING CATTLE, WILLCOX. 




WILLCOX SHIPPING PENS. 
rUotos by K. K, Jlonk. 



THE ROUND-UP 73 

The round-up moves from ranch to ranch rounding up and 
marking the cattle as it goes and is out from four to six 
weeks, according to the number of ranches that are included 
in the circuit. 

When camp is made and everything ready for work 
the cowboys ride out in different directions and drive in all 
the cattle they can find. After the cattle are all gathered 
the calves are branded and the cattle of the several owners 
are cut into separate herds and held until the round-up is 
finished when they are driven home. 

Every unbranded calf is caught and branded in its mother's 
brand. In a mix-up of cattle as occurs at a round-up, a calf 
sometimes gets separated from its mother so that when caught 
its identity is uncertain. To avoid making a mistake the calf 
is only slightly marked, just enough to hurt it a little, and is 
then turned loose. A calf when it is hurt is very much like 
a child, in that it cries and wants its mamma. As quick as it 
is let go it immediately hunts its mother and never fails to 
find her. When cow and calf have come together the calf 
is again caught and the branding finished. 

The pain produced by the hot branding iron makes the 
calf bawl lustily and struggle to free itself. The mother 
cow sometimes resents the punishment of her offspring by 
charging and chasing the men who are doing the branding ; 
or, if she is of a less fiery disposition, shows her displeasure 
by a look of reproach as much as to say, " You bad men, 
what have you done to hurt my little darling ? " 

A peculiarity of brands is that they do not all grow alike. 
Sometimes a brand, after it is healed, remains unchanged 
during the life of the animal. At other times it enlarges to 
several times its original size. Various reasons are assigned 
to account for this difference. Some claim that the brand 
only grows with the calf ; others assert that it is due to deep 



74 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

branding ; and, again, it is ascribed to lunar influence. But, 
as to the real cause of the difference, no explanation has been 
given that really explains the phenomenon. 

The cowboy's work is nearly all done in the saddle and 
calls for much hard riding. He rides like a Centaur, but is 
clumsy on his feet. Being so much in the saddle his walk- 
ing muscles become weakened, and his legs pressing against 
the body of his horse, in time, makes him bowlegged. In 
addition he wears high-heeled Mexican boots which throw 
him on his toes when he walks and makes his already sham- 
bling gait even more awkward. 

A cowboy's life has little in it to inspire him with high 
ideals or arouse his ambition to achieve greatness. He 
leads a hard life among rough men and receives only coarse 
fare and rougher treatment. His life is narrow and he works 
in a rut that prevents him from taking a broad view of life. 
All that he has is his monthly wages, and, possibly, a hope 
that at some future day he may have a herd of cattle of his 
own. 

Managing a herd of range cattle successfully is an art that 
can only be acquired by long practice, and it is surprising how 
expert men can become at that business. All the work done 
among cattle is on horseback, which includes herding, driv- 
ing, cutting and roping. The trained cow pony seemingly 
knows as much about a round-up as his master, and the two, 
together, form a combination that is invincible in a herd of wild 
cattle. The cow or steer that is selected to be roped or cut 
out rarely escapes. While the horse is in hot pursuit the 
rider dexterously whirls his reata above his head until, at a 
favorable moment, it leaves his hand, uncoiling as it flies 
through the air, and, if the throw is successful, the noose 
falls over the animal's head. Suddenly the horse comes to 
a full stop and braces himself for the shock. When the 




GUARDING THE HERD, 



1 

1 




HR jim^ 


n^M^^M^I^^^^H 


^^^^^^^^B^-'i>''FK~r'''<9H^^^^^^^L ;^H 




^H ^^ 


.."'^JilA i^^^^^^^^^^^^H 


^^w 


*- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 



KICKING UP A DUST. 



THE ROUND-UP 77 

animal caught reaches the end of the rope it is brought to 
an abrupt halt and tumbled in a heap on the ground. The 
horse stands braced pulling on the rope which has been made 
fast to the horn of the saddle by a few skillful turns. The 
cowboy is out of the saddle and on his feet in a jiffy. He 
grasps the prostrate animal by the tail and a hind leg, 
throws it on its side, and ties its four feet together, so that 
it is helpless and ready for branding or inspection. The cow- 
boys have tying contests in which a steer is sometimes caught 
and tied in less time than a minute. 

It is a comical sight to see an unhorsed cowboy chase his 
runaway horse on foot as he is almost sure to do if caught in 
such a predicament. He ought to know that he cannot out- 
run his fleet steed in such a race, but seems to be impelled 
by some strange impulse to make the attempt. After he has 
run himself out of breath he is liable to realize the folly of his 
zeal and adopt a more sensible method for capturing his horse. 

The cowboy who works on the southwestern range has 
good cause to fear the malodorous hydrophobia skunk. At 
a round-up all. of the cowboys sleep on the ground. During 
the night, while they are asleep, the little black and white 
cat-like animal forages through the camp for something to 
eat. Without provocation the skunk will attack the sleeper 
and fasten its sharp teeth in some exposed portion of his 
anatomy, either the nose or a finger or toe and will not let 
go until it is killed or forcibly removed. The wound thus 
made usually heals quickly and the incident is, perhaps, soon 
forgotten ; but after several weeks or months hydrophobia 
suddenly develops and proves fatal in a short time. 

The only known cure for the bite of the skunk is the Pas- 
teur treatment and, since its discovery, as soon as anyone is 
bitten, he is immediately sent to the Pasteur Institute in 
Chicago for treatment. 



78 ARIZONA SKETCHES 



CHAPTER VI 



RANCH HAPPENINGS 



RANCH life is often full of thrilling incidents and 
adventures. The cowboy in his travels about the 
country looking after cattle, hunting wild game or, 
in turn, being hunted by yet wilder Indians, finds plenty of 
novelty and excitement to break any fancied monotony which 
might be considered as belonging to ranch life. In a number 
of visits to the range country during the past twenty years, 
the writer has had an opportunity to observe life on a ranch, 
and experience some of its exciting adventures. 

One day in the summer of 1891, Dave Drew, our foreman, 
Tedrow, one of the cowboys, and myself, made a trip into 
East Caiion in the Dos Cabezas mountains, in search of some 
large unbranded calves which had been seen running there. 
We rode leisurely along for some time and passed several 
small bunches of cattle without finding what we were looking 
for. As we neared a bend in the canon, Dave, who rode in 
advance, saw some cattle lying in the shade of a grove of 
live oak trees. Instantly he spurred his horse into a run and 
chased after the cattle at full speed, at the same time looking 
back and shouting that he saw two mavericks and for us to 
hurry up and help catch them. It was a bad piece of ground 
to cover and we found it difficult to make progress or to even 




DAVE DREW- 




DOS CABEZAS MOUNTAINS. 



RANCH HAPPENINGS 81 

keep each other in sight. Tedrow hurried up as fast as he 
could while I brought up the rear. 

In trying to get through in the direction that Dave had 
gone, we tried to make a short cut in order to gain time, but 
soon found our way completely blocked by immense boulders 
and dense thickets of cat-claw bushes, which is a variety of 
mesquite covered with strong, sharp, curved thorns. We 
turned back to find a better road and after some time spent 
in hunting an opening we discovered a dim trail which soon 
led us into a natural park of level ground hidden among the 
foothills. Here we found Dave who alone had caught and 
tied down both the calves and was preparing to start a fire 
to heat the branding irons. What he had done seemed like 
magic and was entirely incomprehensible to an inexperienced 
tenderfoot. 

Dave explained afterwards that to be successful in such a 
race much depended on taking the cattle by surprise, and 
then by a quick, bold dash start them running up the moun- 
tain, when it was possible to overtake and rope them ; but if 
once started to running down hill it was not only unsafe to 
follow on horseback but in any event the cattle were certain 
to escape. Taking them by surprise seemed to bewilder 
them and before they could collect their scattered senses, so 
to speak, and scamper off, the work of capture was done. 

Another adventure, which did not end so fortunately for 
me, happened in the fall of 1887 when the country was yet 
comparatively new to the cattle business. I rode out one 
day in company with a cowboy to look after strays and, in- 
cidentally, to watch for any game that might chance to cross 
our path. We rode through seemingly endless meadows of 
fine gramma grass and saw the sleek cattle feeding on plenty 
and enjoying perfect contentment. Game, also, seemed to 
be abundant but very shy and as we were not particularly 



82 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

hunting that kind of stock, we forebore giving chase or firing 
at long range. 

After riding about among the hills back of the Pinaleno 
ranch and not finding anything we concluded to return home. 
On starting back we separated and took different routes, go- 
ing by two parallel ravines in order to cover more ground in 
our search. I had not gone far until I found the cattle we 
were looking for going to water on the home trail. Jogging 
on slowly after them and enjoying the beauty of the landscape, 
I unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a deer lying down under 
a mesquite tree on the brow of a distant hill. I was in plain 
sight of the deer, which was either asleep or heedless of dan- 
ger as it paid no attention whatever to my presence. 

Deer and antelope soon become accustomed to horses and 
cattle and often mix and feed familiarly with the stock graz- 
ing on the open range. The deer did not change its position 
as I quietly rode by and out of sight behind the hill. There 
I dismounted and stalked the quarry on foot, cautiously mak- 
ing my way up the side of the hill to a point where I would 
be within easy shooting distance. As I stood up to locate 
the deer it jumped to its feet and was ready to make off, but 
before it could start a shot from my Winchester put a bullet 
through its head, and it scarcely moved after it fell. The 
deer was in good condition and replenished our depleted 
ranch larder with some choice venison steaks. The head, 
also, was a fine one the horns being just out of velvet and 
each antler five pointed, was saved and mounted. 

The shot and my lusty halloo soon brought my cowboy 
friend to the spot. Together we eviscerated the animal and 
prepared to pack it to camp on my horse. As we were lift- 
ing it upon his back the bronco gave a vicious kick which hit 
me in the left knee and knocked me down. The blow, though 
severe, glanced off so that no bone was broken. What made 




SHOPPIXG AT SAX CARLOS. 




AJIOXG THE HILLS. 



RANCH HAPPENINGS 85 

the horse kick was a mystery as he was considered safe and 
had carried deer on other occasions. But a bronco, hke a 
mule, is never altogether reliable, particularly as to the ac- 
tion of its heels. With some delay ui getting started and m 
somewhat of a demoralized condition we mounted and rode 
home. 

Soon after the accident I had a chill which was followed 
by a fever and there was much pain and swelling in the knee 
that was hit. A ranch house, if it happens to be a " stag 
camp " as ours was, is a cheerless place in which to be sick, 
but everything considered, I was fortunate in that it was not 
worse. By the liberal use of hot water and such other simples 
as the place afforded I was soon better ; but not until after 
several months' treatment at home did the injured knee fully 
recover its normal condition. 

The excitement of running cattle or hunting game on the 
open range in those days was mild in comparison to the pan- 
icky feeling which prevailed during every Indian outbreak. 
The experience of many years had taught the people of Ari- 
zona what to expect at such a time and the utter diabolical 
wickedness of the Apaches when out on the warpath. Dur- 
ing the early eighties many such raids occurred which were 
accompanied by all the usual horrors of brutality and outrage 
of which the Apaches are capable. 

When it became known in the fall of 1885 that Geronimo 
was again off the reservation and out on another one of his 
bloody raids the people became panic-stricken. Some left 
the Territory until such time when the Indian question would 
be settled and the Government could guarantee freedom from 
Indian depredations. Those who remained either fled to 
some near town or fort for protection, or prepared to defend 
themselves in their own homes as best they could. 

What else could the settlers in a new country do } They 



86 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

had everything invested in either mines or cattle and could 
not afford to leave their property without making some effort 
to save it even if it had to be done at the risk of their own 
lives. They had no means of knowing when or where the 
stealthy Apaches would strike and could only wait for the 
time in uncertainty and suspense. Many who were in this 
uncomfortable predicament managed to escape any harm, but 
others fell victims to savage hatred whose death knell was 
sounded in the crack of the deadly rifle. 

Some personal experiences may help to illustrate this feel- 
ing of panic, as I happened to be at the ranch dunng the time 
and know how it was myself. 

One day in the month of October, 1885, while Geronimo 
was makmg his raid through southern Arizona, my brother and 
I rode through Railroad Pass from Pinaleno ranch to the 
Lorentz Place, a distance of fifteen miles. It was about four 
o'clock in the afternoon that we ascended to the top of a hill 
to take observations and see if anything was happening out 
of the ordinary. We saw nothing unusual until we were 
about to leave when we noticed somewhat of a commotion on 
the old Willcox and Bowie wagon road which parallels the 
Southern Pacific track. The distance was too great to see 
distinctly with the naked eye, but looking through our field 
glasses, which we always carried when out riding, we could 
plainly see three loaded wagons standing in the road. The 
drivers had evidently unhitched their teams and, mounted up- 
on the horses' backs, were riding furiously in a cloud of dust 
down the road towards Bowie. 

I asked the Judge, who was a resident and supposed to be 
familiar with the customs of the country while I was only a 
tenderfoot, what their actions meant. He admitted that he 
did not understand their conduct unless it was that they had 
concluded that they could not make Willcox on that day and 



RANCH HAPPENINGS 87 

were returning to some favorable camp ground which they had 
passed on their way up, to spend the night ; but the manner 
of their going was certainly peculiar. After watching them 
disappear down the road we rode on and reached our destina- 
tion m safety. 

The incident was forgotten until a few days later when we 
were in Willcox a friend inquired what had become of the 
Indians which had lately been seen on our range. We rephed 
that we had not seen any Indians nor known of any that had 
been there. He then related to us how only a few days be- 
fore three freighters had seen two Indians ride upon a hill 
and halt. The sight of Indians was enough and their only 
care after that was to get away from them. They quickly 
unhitched their horses from the wagons and rode ten miles 
to Bowie where they gave the alarm and spent the night. 
The next morning, having heard nothing more from the 
Indians during the night, they took fresh courage and ven- 
tured to return to their wagons, which they found as they 
had left them unmolested, when they continued their journey. 

When the freighters were asked why they did not stand 
off the Indians they said that they only had one gun and not 
knowing how many more redskins there might be decided 
that to retreat was the better part of valor. It was my 
brother and I whom they had seen and mistaken for Indians. 

A few days after this event I had a similar scare of my own 
and after it was over I could sympathize with the poor 
frightened freighters. I was alone at the ranch house pack- 
ing up and preparing to leave for home. While thus occupied 
I chanced to go to the open door and looking out, to my dis- 
may, I saw Indians. "My heart jumped into my mouth" 
and for a moment I felt that my time had surely come. Two 
men were seen riding horseback over the foot hills followed 
by a pack animal. As I stood watching them and took time 



88 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

to think, it occurred to me that I might be mistaken, and that 
the men were not Indians after all. As they drew nearer I 
saw that they were dressed like white men and, therefore, 
could not be Indians ; but my scare while it lasted was pain- 
fully real. The men proved to be two neighboring ranchmen 
who were out looking for lost cattle. 

In this raid, the Apaches, after leaving their reservation 
in the White mountains, traveled south along the Arizona 
and New Mexico line, killing people as they went, until they 
reached Stein's Pass. From there they turned west, crossed 
the San Simon valley and disappeared in the Chiricahua 
mountains. When next seen they had crossed over the 
mountains and attacked Riggs' ranch in Pinery canon, where 
they wounded a woman, but were driven off. 

The next place that they visited was the Sulphur Spring 
ranch of the Chiricahua Cattle Company, where they stole a 
bunch of horses. The cowboys at the ranch had received 
warning that there were Indians about and had brought in 
the horse herd from the range and locked them in the corral. 
The Apaches came in the night and with their usual adroit- 
ness and cunning stole the corral empty. The first intimation 
which the inmates had that the ranch had been robbed was 
when the cowboys went in the morning to get their horses 
they found them gone. 

From the Sulphur Spring ranch they crossed the Sulphur 
Spring valley in the direction of Cochise's stronghold in the 
Dragoon mountains. Before reaching the mountains they 
passed Mike Noonan's ranch where they shot its owner, who 
was a lone rancher and had lived alone in the valley many 
years. He was found dead in his dooryard with a bullet hole 
in the back of his head. He evidently did not know that the 
Indians were near and was seemingly unconscious of any 
danger when he was killed. 



RANCH HAPPENINGS 89 

The Indians were not seen again after entering the strong- 
hold until they crossed the line into Mexico, where they were 
pursued by United States soldiers. After a long, stern chase 
Geronimo surrendered himself and followers to General Miles, 
who brought them back to Arizona. As prisoners they were 
all loaded into cars at Bowie and taken to Florida. The 
general in command thought it best to take them clear out 
of the country in order to put an effectual stop to their 
marauding. Later they were removed to the Indian Terri- 
tory where they now live. 

The rest of the Apaches remain in Arizona and live on the 
San Carlos reservation on the Gila river where they are being 
inducted into civilization. Since the disturbing element 
among them has been removed there has been no more 
trouble. They seem to have settled down with a sincere 
purpose to learn the white man's way and are quiet and peace- 
able. They are laborers, farmers and stockmen and are mak- 
ing rapid progress in their new life. 



90 ARIZONA SKETCHES 



CHAPTER Vn 



A MODEL RANCH 



ANY one who has been in Arizona and failed to visit 
the Sierra Bonita ranch missed seeing a model ranch. 
^ Henry C. Hooker, the owner of this splendid prop- 
erty, was born in New England and is a typical Yankee, who 
early emigrated west and has spent most of his life on the 
frontier. 

He went to Arizona at the close of the Civil War and en- 
gaged in contracting for the Government and furnishing sup- 
plies to the army. It was before the days of railroads when 
all merchandise was hauled overland in wagons and cattle 
were driven through on foot. He outfitted at points in 
Texas and on the Rio Grande and drove his cattle and wagons 
over hundreds of miles of desert road through a country that 
was infested by hostile Indians. 

Such a wild life was naturally full of adventures and in- 
volved much hardship and danger. The venture, however, 
prospered and proved a financial success, notwithstanding 
some losses in men killed, wagons pillaged and cattle driven 
off and lost by bands of marauding Apaches. 

In his travels he saw the advantages that Arizona offered 
as a grazing country, which decided him to locate a ranch 
and engage in the range cattle business. 




A SIERRA BONITA RANCH HERD. 




COL. HOOKER AND HIS DOGS. 



A MODEL RANCH 93 

The ranch derives its name from the Graham or Pinaleno 
mountains, which the Indians called the Sierra Bonita because 
of the many beautiful wild flowers that grow there. It is 
twenty miles north of Willcox, a thriving village on the 
Southern Pacific Railroad, and ten miles south of Ft. Grant, 
that nestles in a grove of cotton trees at the foot of Mt. 
Graham, the noblest mountain in southern Arizona. 

The Sierra Bonita ranch is situated in the famous Sulphur 
Spring valley in Cochise County, Arizona, which is, perhaps, 
the only all grass valley in the Territory. The valley is 
about twenty miles wide and more than one hundred miles 
long and extends into Mexico, Its waters drain in opposite 
directions, part flowing south into the Yaqui river, and part 
running north through the Aravaipa Canon into the Gila and 
Colorado rivers, all to meet and mingle again in the Gulf of 
California. 

Fine gramma grass covers the entire valley and an under- 
ground river furnishes an inexhaustible supply of good water. 
In the early days of overland travel before the country was 
prospected or any of its resources were known, immigrants, 
who were bound for California by the Southern route and 
ignorant of the near presence of water, nearly perished from 
thirst while crossing the valley. 

The water rises to within a few feet of the surface and, 
since its discovery, numerous wells have been dug and wind- 
mills and ranch houses dot the landscape in all directions ; 
while thousands of cattle feed and fatten on the nutritious 
gramma grass. Its altitude is about four thousand feet above 
the sea and the climate is exceptionally fine. 

The Sierra Bonita ranch is located on a natural cienega of 
moist land that has been considerably enlarged by artificial 
means. In an average year the natural water supply of the 
ranch is sufficient for all purposes but, to guard against any 



94 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

possible shortage in a dry year, water is brought from the 
mountains in ditches that have been constructed at great 
labor and expense and is stored in reservoirs, to be used as 
needed for watering the cattle and irrigating the fields. The 
effect of water upon the desert soil is almost magical and, 
even though the rains fail and the earth be parched, on the 
moist land of the cienega the fields of waving grass and grain 
are perennially green. 

The owner has acquired by location and purchase, title to 
several thousand acres of land, that is all fenced and much 
of it highly cultivated. It consists of a strip of land one 
mile wide and ten miles long, which is doubly valuable be- 
cause of its productiveness and as the key that controls a 
fine open range. 

The original herd of cattle that pastured on the Sierra 
Bonita ranch thirty years ago was composed of native scrub 
stock from Texas and Sonora. This undesirable stock was 
sold at the first opportunity, and the range re-stocked by an 
improved grade of Durham cattle. The change was a long 
stride in the direction of improvement, but, later on, another 
change was made to Herefords, and during recent years only 
whitefaces have been bred upon the ranch. 

Col. Hooker has a strong personality, holds decided opin- 
ions and believes in progress and improvement. He has 
spent much time and money in experimental work, and his 
success has demonstrated the wisdom of his course. Just 
such men are needed in every new country to develop its 
resources and prove its worth. 

He saw that the primitive methods of ranching then in 
vogue must be improved, and began to prepare for the change 
which was coming. What he predicted came to pass, and 
the days of large herds on the open range are numbered. 
Many of them have already been sold or dix'ided up, and it 




LAKE OX THE SIERRA BOKITA RANCH. 




THE GILA RIVER. 



A MODEL RANCH 97 

is a question of only a short time when the rest will meet 
the same fate. 

When this is done there may be no fewer cattle than there 
are now, but they will be bunched in smaller herds and bet- 
ter cared for. Scrubs of any kind are always undesirable, 
since it has been proved that quality is more profitable than 
quantity. A small herd is more easily handled, and there is 
less danger of loss from straying or stealing. 

The common method of running cattle on the open range 
is reckless and wasteful in the extreme and entirely inexcusa- 
ble. The cattle are simply turned loose to rustle for them- 
selves. No provision whatever is made for their welfare, 
except that they are given the freedom of the range to find 
water, if they can, and grass that often affords them only 
scant picking. 

Under the new regime the cattle are carefully fed and 
watered, if need be in a fenced inclosure, that not only gives the 
cattle humane treatment but also makes money for the owner. 
The men are instructed to bring in every sick or weak ani- 
mal found on the range and put it into a corral or pasture, 
where it is nursed back to life. If an orphan calf is found 
that is in danger of starving it is picked up, carried home 
and fed. On the average ranch foundlings and weaklings 
get no attention whatever, but are left in their misery to 
pine away and perish from neglect. The profit of caring for 
the weak and sick animals on the Sierra Bonita ranch amounts 
to a large sum every year, which the owner thinks is worth 
saving. 

Another peculiarity of ranch life is that where there are 
hundreds or, perhaps, thousands of cows in a herd, not a 
single cow is milked, nor is a cup of milk or pound of butter 
ever seen upon the ranch table. It is altogether different 
on Hooker's ranch. There is a separate herd of milch cows 



98 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

in charge of a man whose duty it is to keep the table sup- 
plied with plenty of fresh milk and butter. No milk ever 
goes to waste. If there is a surplus it is fed to the calves, 
pigs and poultry. 

During the branding season the work of the round-up is 
all done in corrals instead of, as formerly, out upon the open 
range. Each calf after it is branded, if it is old and strong 
enough to wean, is taken from the cow and turned into a 
separate pasture. It prevents the weak mother cow from 
being dragged to death by a strong sucking calf and saves 
the pampered calf from dying of blackleg by a timely change 
of diet. 

Instead of classing the cattle out on the open range as is 
the usual custom, by an original system of corrals, gates and 
chutes the cattle are much more easily and quickly classified 
without any cruelty or injury inflicted upon either man or 
beast. Classing cattle at a round-up by the old method is a 
hard and often cruel process, that requires a small army of 
both men and horses and is always rough and severe on the 
men, horses and cattle. 

Besides the herds of sleek cattle, there are also horses 
galore, enough to do all of the work on the ranch as well as 
for pleasure riding and driving. There is likewise a kennel 
of fine grayhounds that are the Colonel's special pride. His 
cattle, horses and dogs are all of the best, as he believes in 
thoroughbreds and has no use whatever for scrubs of either 
the human or brute kind. 

The dogs are fond of their master and lavish their caresses 
on him with almost human affection. In the morning when 
they meet him at the door Ketchum pokes his nose into 
one of his master's half open hands and Killum performs 
the same act with the other hand. Blackie nips him play- 
fully on the leg while Dash and the rest of the pack race 




A BUNCH OF HOOKER HORSES. 




A STUDY IN FACES. 



l.pfC. 



A MODEL RANCH 101 

about like mad, trying to express the exuberance of their 
joy. 

In the bunch is little Bob, the fox terrier, who tries hard 
but is not always able to keep up with the hounds in a race. 
Ke is active and gets over the ground lively for a small dog, 
but in a long chase is completely distanced and outclassed 
to his apparent disgust. Aside from the fine sport that the 
dogs afford, they are useful in keeping the place clear of all 
kinds of "varmints " such as coyotes, skunks and wild cats. 

How much Col. Hooker appreciates his dogs is best illus- 
trated by an incident. One morning after greeting the dogs 
at the door, he was heard to remark sotto voce. 

" Well, if everybody on the ranch is cross, my dogs always 
greet me with a smile." 

There appears to be much in the dog as well as in the 
horse that is human, and the trio are capable of forming 
attachments for each other that only death can part. 

The ranch house is a one-story adobe structure built in 
the Spanish style of a rectangle, with all the doors opening 
upon a central court. It is large and commodious, is ele- 
gantly furnished and supplied with every modern convenience. 
It affords every needed comfort for a family and is in strik- 
ing contrast with the common ranch house of the range that 
is minus every luxury and often barely furnishes the neces- 
saries of life. 



102 ARIZONA SKETCHES 



CHAPTER VIII 



SOME DESERT PLANTS 



MUCH of the vegetation that is indigenous to the 
southwest is unique and can only be seen at its best 
in the Gila valley in southern Arizona. The locality 
indicated is in the arid zone and is extremely hot and dry. 
Under such conditions it is but natural to suppose that all 
plant life must necessarily be scant and dwarfed, but such is 
not the fact. Upon the contrary many of the plants that 
are native to the soil and adapted to the climate grow luxuri- 
antly, are remarkably succulent and perennially green. 

How they manage to acquire so much sap amidst the sur- 
rounding siccity is inexplicable, unless it is that they possess 
the function of absorbing and condensing moisture by an un- 
usual and unknown method. It is, however, a beneficent 
provision of nature as a protection against famine in a 
droughty land by furnishing, in an acceptable form, refresh- 
ing juice and nutritious pulp to supply the pressing wants of 
hungry and thirsty man and beast in time of need. 

Another peculiarity of these plants is that they are acana- 
ceous ; covered all over with sharp thorns and needles. Spikes 
of all sorts and sizes bristle everywhere and admonish the 
tenderfoot to beware. Guarded by an impenetrable armor of 
prickly mail they defy encroachment and successfully repel 




WILLCOX, ARIZONA. 




ON THE VERDI RIVER. 



SOME DESERT PLANTS 105 

all attempts at undue familiarity. To be torn by a cat-claw 
thorn or impaled on a stout dagger leaf of one of these plants 
would not only mean painful laceration but, perhaps, serious 
or even fatal injury. Notwithstanding their formidable and 
forbidding appearance they are nevertheless attractive and 
possess some value either medicinal, commercial or orna- 
mental. 

The maguey, or American aloe, is the most abundant and 
widely distributed of the native plants. It is commonly 
known as mescal, but is also called the century plant from 
a mistaken notion that it blossoms only once in a hundred 
years. Its average life, under normal conditions, is about 
ten years and it dies immediately after blossoming. 

It attains its greatest perfection in the interior of Mexico 
where it is extensively cultivated. It yields a large quantity 
of sap which is, by a simple process of fermentation, converted 
into a liquor called pulque that tastes best while it is new and is 
consumed in large quantities by the populace. Pulque trains 
are run daily from the mescal plantations, where the pulque 
is made, into the large cities to supply the bibulous inhabit- 
ants with their customary beverage. In strength and effect 
it resembles lager beer, and is the popular drink with all classes 
throughout Mexico where it has been in vogue for centuries 
and is esteemed as " the only drink fit for thirsty angels and 
men." 

The agave is capable of being applied to many domestic 
uses. Under the old dispensation of Indian supremacy it 
supplied the natives their principal means of support. Its 
sap was variously prepared and served as milk, honey, vine- 
gar, beer and brandy. From its tough fiber were made 
thread, rope, cloth, shoes and paper. The strong flower 
stalk was used in building houses and the broad leaves for 
covering them. 



106 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

The heart of the maguey is saccharine and rich in nutriment. 
It is prepared by roasting it in a mescal pit and, when done, 
tastes much like baked squash. It is highly prized by the 
Indians, who use it as their daily bread. Before the Apaches 
were conquered and herded on reservations a mescal bake 
was an important event with them. It meant the gathering 
of the clans and was made the occasion of much feasting and 
festivity. Old mescal pits can yet be found in some of 
the secluded corners of the Apache country that were once 
the scenes of noisy activity, but have been forsaken and silent 
for many years. 

The fiery mescal, a distilled liquor that is known to the 
trade as aguardiente, or Mexican brandy, is much stronger 
than pulque, but less used. Both liquors are said to be me- 
dicinal, and are reputed to possess diuretic, tonic and stimu- 
lant properties. 

Next in importance to the mescal comes the yucca. There 
are several varieties, but the palm yucca is the most common, 
and under favorable conditions attains to the proportions of 
a tree. Fine specimens of yucca grow on the Moja\'e desert 
in California that are large and numerous enough to form a 
straggling forest. 

The tree consists of a light, spongy wood that grows as a 
single stem or divides into two or more branches. Each 
branch is crowned by a tuft of long, pointed leaves that grow 
in concentric circles. As the new leaves unfold on top the 
old leaves are crowded down and hang in loose folds about 
the stem like a flounced skirt. When dry the leaves burn 
readily, and are sometimes used for light and heat by lost or 
belated travelers. White threads of a finer fiber are de- 
tached from the margins of the leaves that are blown by 
the wind into a fluffy fleece, in which the little birds love to 
nest. 





A MESCAL FIELD. 



SOME DESERT PLANTS 109 

A grove of yucca trees presents a grotesque appearance. 
If indistinctly viewed in the hazy distance they are easily 
mistaken for the plumed topknots of a band of prowling 
Apaches, particularly if the imagination is active with the 
fear of an Indian outbreak. 

The wood of the yucca tree has a commercial value. It 
is cut into thin sheets by machinery which are used for sur- 
geon's splints, hygienic insoles, tree protectors and calen- 
dars. As a splint it answers an admirable purpose, being 
both light and strong, and capable of being molded into 
any shape desired after it has been immersed in hot water. 
Its pulp, also, makes an excellent paper. 

Another variety of yucca is the amole, or soap plant. 
Owing to the peculiar shape of its leaves it is also called 
Spanish bayonet. Its root is saponaceous, and is pounded 
into a pulp and used instead of soap by the natives. It 
grows a bunch of large white flowers, and matures an edible 
fruit that resembles the banana. The Indians call it oosa, 
and eat it, either raw or roasted in hot ashes. 

A species of yucca called sotal, or saw-grass, grows plenti- 
fully in places, and is sometimes used as food for cattle when 
grass is scarce. In its natural state it is inaccessible to cat- 
tle because of its hard and thorny exterior. To make it 
available it is cut down and quartered with a hoe, when the 
hungry cattle eat it with avidity. Where the plant grows 
thickly one man can cut enough in one day to feed several 
hundred head of cattle. 

There are several other varieties of yucca that possess no 
particular value, but all are handsome bloomers, and the mass 
of white flowers which unfold during the season of efifiores- 
cence adds much to the beauty of the landscape. 

The prickly pear cactus, or Indian fig, of the genus Opuntia 
is a common as well as a numerous family. The soil and cli- 



110 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

mate of the southwest from Texas to California seem to be 
just to its liking. It grows rank and often forms dense 
thickets. The root is a tough wood from which, it is said, 
the best Mexican saddletrees are made. 

The plant consists of an aggregation of thick, flat, oval 
leaves, which are joined together by narrow bands of woody- 
fiber and covered with bimdles of fine, sharp needles. Its 
pulp is nutritious and cattle like the young leaves, but will 
not eat them after they become old and hard unless driven 
to do so by the pangs of hunger. In Texas the plant is 
gathered in large quantities and ground into a fine pulp by 
machinery which is then mixed with cotton-seed meal and fed 
to cattle. The mixture makes a valuable fattening ration and 
is used for finishing beef steers for the market. 

The cholla, or cane cactus, is also a species of Opuntia, but 
its stem or leaf is long and round instead of short and flat. 
It is thickly covered with long, fine, silvery-white needles 
that glisten in the sun. Its stem is hollow and filled with a 
white pith like the elder. After the prickly bark is stripped 
off the punk can be picked out through the fenestra with a 
penknife, which occupation affords pleasant pastime for a 
leisure hour. When thus furbished up the unsightly club 
becomes an elegant walking stick. 

The cholla is not a pleasant companion as all persons know 
who have had any experience with it. Its needles are not 
only very sharp, but also finely barbed, and they penetrate 
and cling fast like a burr the moment that they are touched. 
Cowboys profess to believe that the plant has some kind of 
sense as they say that it jumps and takes hold of its victim 
before it is touched. This action, however, is only true in 
the seeming, as its long transparent needles, being invisible, 
are touched before they are seen. When they catch hold of 
a moving object, be it horse or cowboy, an impulse is im- 




SPANISH BAYONET. 




SOME DESERT PLANTS 113 

parted to the plant that makes it seem to jump. It is an un- 
canny movement and is something more than an ocular 
illusion, as the victim is ready to testify. 

These desert plants do not ordinarily furnish forage for 
live stock, but in a season of drought when other feed is 
scarce and cattle are starving they will risk having their 
mouths pricked by thorns in order to get something to eat 
and will browse on mescal, yucca and cactus and find some 
nourishment in the unusual diet, enough, at least, to keep 
them from dying. The plants mentioned are not nearly as 
plentiful now as they once were. Because of the prolonged 
droughts that prevail in the range country and the overstock- 
ing of the range these plants are in danger of being exter- 
minated and, if the conditions do not soon change, of be- 
coming extinct. 

The saguaro, or giant cactus, is one of nature's rare and 
curious productions. It is a large, round, fluted column that 
is from one to two feet thick and sometimes sixty feet high. 
The trunk is nearly of an even thickness from top to bottom 
but, if there is any difference, it is a trifle thicker in the 
middle. It usually stands alone as a single perpendicular 
column, but is also found bunched in groups. If it has any 
branches they are apt to start at right angles from about the 
middle of the tree and curve upward, paralleling the trunk, 
which form gives it the appearence of a mammoth candela- 
brum. 

The single saguaro pillar bears a striking resemblance to 
a Corinthian column. As everything in art is an attempt to 
imitate something in nature, is it possible that Grecian archi- 
tecture borrowed its notable pattern from the Gila valley ? 
Southern Arizona is the natural home and exclusive habitat 
of this most singular and interesting plant and is, perhaps, 
the only thing growing anywhere that could have suggested 



114 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

the design. Wherever it grows, it is a conspicuous object 
on the landscape and has been appropriately named " The 
Sentinel of the Desert." 

Its mammoth body is supported by a skeleton of wooden 
ribs, which are held in position by a mesh of tough fibers that 
is filled with a green pulp. Rows of thorns extend its entire 
length which are resinous and, if ignited, burn with a bright 
flame. They are sometimes set on fire and have been used 
by the Apaches for making signals. The cactus tree, like 
the eastern forest tree, is often found bored full of round 
holes that are made by the Gila woodpecker. When the 
tree dies its pulp dries up and blows away and there remains 
standing only a spectral figure composed of white slats and 
fiber that looks ghostly in the distance. 

Its fruit is delicious and has the flavor of the fig and straw- 
berry combined. It is dislodged by the greedy birds which 
feed on it and by arrows shot from bows in the hands of the 
Indians. The natives esteem the fruit as a great delicacy 
and use it both fresh and dried and in the form of a treacle 
or preserve. 

The ocotillo, or mountain cactus, is a handsome shrub that 
grows in rocky soil upon the foothills and consists of a clus- 
ter of nearly straight poles of brittle wood covered with thorns 
and leaves. It blossoms during the early summer and each 
branch bears on its crest a bunch of bright crimson flowers. 

If set in a row the plant makes an ornamental hedge and 
effective fence for turning stock. The seemingly dry sticks 
are thrust into yet drier ground where they take root and 
grow without water. Its bark is resinous and a fagot of dry 
sticks makes a torch that is equal to a pineknot. 

The echinocactus, or bisnaga, is also called " The Well of 
the Desert." It has a large barrel-shaped body which is 
covered with long spikes that are curved like fishhooks. It 




PALO VERDE. 




COCOXIXO FOREST. 



SOME DESERT PLANTS 117 

is full of sap that is sometimes used to quench thirst. By 
cutting off the too and scooping out a hollow, the cup-shaped 
hole soon fills with a sap that is not exactly nectar but can 
be drunk in an emergency. Men who have been in danger 
of perishing from thirst on the desert have sometimes been 
saved by this unique method of well digging. 

Greasewood, or creasote bush as it is sometimes called on 
account of its pungent odor, grows freely on the desert, but 
has little or no value and cattle will not touch it. Like many 
other desert plants it is resinous and if thrown into the fire, 
the green leaves spit and sputter while they burn like hot 
grease in a frying pan. 

The mesquite tree is peculiarly adapted to the desert and 
is the most valuable tree that grows in the southwest. As 
found growing on the dry mesas of Arizona, it is only a small 
bush, but on the moist land of a river bottom it becomes a 
large forest tree. A mesquite forest stands in the Santa 
Cruz valley south of Tucson that is a fair sample of its growth 
under favorable conditions. 

Its wood is hard and fine grained and polishes beautifully. 
It is very durable and is valuable for lumber, fence posts and 
firewood. On the dry mesas it seems to go mostly to root 
that is out of all proportion to the size of the tree. The 
amount of firewood that is sometimes obtained by digging 
up the root of a small mesquite bush is astonishing. 

It makes a handsome and ornamental shade tree, having 
graceful branches, feathery leaves and fragrant flowers, and 
could be cultivated to advantage for yard and park purposes. 

Its principal value, however, lies in its seed pods, which 
grow in clusters and look like string beans. The mesquite 
bean furnishes a superior article of food and feeds about 
everything that either walks or flies on the desert. The 
Indians make meal of the seed and bake it mto bread. Cat- 



118 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

tie that feed on the open range will leave good grass to 
browse on a mesquitc bush. Even as carnivorous a creature 
as the coyote will make a full meal on a mess of mesquite 
beans and seem to be satisfied. The tree exudes a gum 
that is equal to the gum arable of commerce. 

The palo verde is a tree without leaves and is a true child 
of the desert. No matter how hot and dry the weather the 
palo verde is always green and flourishing. At a distance it 
resembles a weeping willow tree stripped of its leaves. Its 
numerous long, slender, drooping branches gracefully criss- 
cross and interlace in an intricate figure of filigree work. It 
has no commercial value, but if it could be successfully trans- 
planted and transported it w^ould make a desirable addition to 
green-house collections in the higher latitudes. 

The romantic mistletoe that is world renowned for its 
magic influence in love affairs, grows to perfection in southern 
Arizona. There are several varieties of this parasitic plant 
that are very imHke in appearance. Each kind partakes 
more or less of the characteristics of the tree upon which 
it grows, but all have the glossy leaf and waxen berry. 





MESQtriTE FOREST NEAR TUCSON. 



HOOKER'S HOT SPRINGS 121 



CHAPTER IX 



HOOKER S HOT SPRINGS 



A RIZONA has several hot springs within her borders 
/-\ but, perhaps, none are more valuable nor pictur- 
-^ -^ esquely located than Hooker's hot springs. These 
springs are located in the foothills on the western slope of 
the Galiura mountains in southeastern Arizona, thirty-five 
miles west of Willcox on the Southern Pacific Railroad. The 
spot is beautifully situated, commanding an extended view of 
valley and mountain scenery. 

There are a dozen springs, big and little, in the group and 
are scattered over several acres of hillside. The temperature 
of the water is i 30° Fahrenheit and too hot to drink but, if 
sipped slowly, it makes an admirable hot-water draught. 
The springs evidently have their source deep down in the 
earth and the flow of water never varies. When the water 
from the different springs is all united it forms a good sized 
brook. The water is conducted through pipes into the bath 
house, where it supplies a row of bath-tubs with water of any 
desired temperature. The surplus water flows into a large 
earthern tank or artificial lake and is used for irrigating a 
small farm that produces grain, fruits and vegetables. 

The water from these springs is in great demand and is 
not only sought by the human biped, but is also in favor with 



122 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

the equine quadruped. Every morning after the stable doors 
are thrown open and the horses turned loose they invariably, 
of their own accord, proceed to the lake, wade out into shal- 
low water and take a bath. They lie down and splash the 
water about like a lot of schoolboys taking a swim. 

The water from all the springs is perfectly soft and pure. 
It cannot be called a mineral water, as an analysis shows that 
it contains only a trace of any kind of mineral matter. This 
peculiarity of the water is no damage to the springs, since 
purity is the best recommendation that any water can have. 
Water that is heavily mineralized may be medicinal, but is 
not necessarily remedial, or even wholesome, notwithstand- 
ing the popular belief to the contrary. Water that is charged 
with much mineral is spoiled for drinking. Moderately hard 
water need not be injurious to anybody, but is especially bene- 
ficial to children. The assimilative function in the child ap- 
propriates mineral water tardily and sometimes absorbs it 
altogether too slowly for the child's good. Its absence in 
the system causes a disease called rickets, in which, from a 
lack of lime, the bones of the child become soft and yield- 
ing. The bones of a rickety child will bend rather than 
break. It is slow to walk and inclines to become bow-legged. 

It is entirely different in old age. As the years multiply 
the system absorbs an abnormal and ever increasing amount 
of calcareous matter. The bones become unduly hard and 
brittle and are easily broken. Bony matter is liable to be 
deposited in and about the joints, when they become stiff 
and painful. It also lodges in the various soft tissues of the 
body, and ossification of the valves of the heart and walls of 
the arteries sometimes happens. It weakens the blood ves- 
sels so that they easily rupture, which causes apoplexy, paral- 
)'sis and death. Calcareous concretions in the kidneys and 
bladder, also, come from the same cause, and are called gi-avel. 







^ Ji 


. , ^ -I^M 












^pP^P^Bb 




- 


^' ^^ 


1 


mg 


^E.'~- 


1^ 


I 



A HOT WATER DRAUGHT. 




HOOKER S HOT SPRINGS. 



HOOKER'S HOT SPRINGS 125 

Such deposits are not only annoying and painful to the pa- 
tient, but in time may prove fatal if not removed by surgery. 

Middle-aged and elderly people should never drink any- 
thing but soft water. If a natural supply of soft water can- 
not be obtained distilled water should be substituted. If 
neither natural soft water nor distilled water are available, 
and there is doubt as to the purity of the water that is being 
used, it should be boiled and then let stand to cool and set- 
tle. Boiling not only destroys and renders harmless any or- 
ganic germs that may be present, but also precipitates and 
eliminates much of its inorganic salts. 

A few drops of a weak solution of nitrate of silver added 
to a glass of water will quickly determine its quality. If the 
water that is being tested is free from mineral matter no 
change is produced, but if it contains mineral it turns the 
water opaque or milky. 

The value of mineral water as a healthful or necessary 
drink has been greatly exaggerated. While it may do good 
in some instances, it is not nearly as beneficial as is com- 
monly supposed. Instead of it always doing good the con- 
trary is often true. 

If a mineral water is desired there is no necessity of visit- 
ing a mineral spring to obtain it, as it can be made artificially 
at home or at the nearest pharmacy in any quantity or of any 
quality desired, with the additional advantage of having it 
contain exactly the ingredients wanted. There are nearly as 
many mineral waters on the market as there are patent medi- 
cines, and both are about equally misrepresented and de- 
ceiving. All classes of people would undoubtedly be greatly 
benefited in health, strength and longevity if more attention 
was given to the quality of our domestic water supply. Any 
one who needs a change, other things being equal, should 
seek a resort that furnishes pure, soft water rather than 



126 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

choose a spring that only boasts of its mineral properties. 
Not all of the benefit that is derived from a course at a 
watering place is due to the virtues of the water, be it ever 
so potent. The change of environment, climate, diet, bath- 
ing, etc., are each factors that contribute something towards 
a cure. 

Next to using pure water as a beverage it is important to 
know how to bathe properly, such knowledge being simple and 
plain enough if only common sense is used. Usually the 
more simply a bath is administered the better are the results. 
Some people seem to think that in order to derive any bene- 
fit from a bath it is necessary to employ some unusual or 
complicated process. Nothing is further from the truth. 
The plain, tepid bath is the best for general use. It thoroughly 
cleanses the body and produces no unpleasant shock. A hot 
bath is rarely needed but, if it is used, enough time should 
be given after it to rest and cool off before going out into 
the open air in order to avoid taking cold. The good or 
harm of a bath must be judged by its effects. 

A bath is only beneficial when it is followed by a healthy 
reaction, which is indicated by an agreeable feeling of warmth 
and comfort, and is injurious if the subject feels cold, weak 
or depressed. A bath does not affect all people alike ; what 
will do one person good may injure another. It is never 
wise to prescribe a stereotyped treatment for every patient. 
The disease, temperament and constitution of each individual 
must be taken into account and the temperature and frequency 
of the bath must be determined and regulated by the neces- 
sity and idiosyncrasies of each case. The amount of bathing 
that a strong, full-blooded person could endure would mop out 
the life of a thin, bloodless weakling. 

Locally, these springs have become famous because of the 
remarkable cures they have effected, and are sought by many 




THE MORNING BATH. 




A QUIET NOOK. 



HOOKER'S HOT SPRINGS 129 

sick people who have failed to find relief by other means. 
Before the white man came the Indians used the water for 
curing their sick. The water is curative in rheumatism, 
neuralgia, dyspepsia, blood and skin disorders and kidney 
complaint. The water cure is all right even if it does not al- 
ways fulfill every expectation. 

Hooker's hot springs is a pleasant place to visit for people 
who are not invalids. It is off the beaten path of travel and 
is an ideal spot for the tired man who needs a rest. It has 
not yet been overrun by the crowd, but retains all of the 
natural charm of freshness which the old resorts have lost. 
Here nature riots in all of her wild beauty and has not yet 
been perceptibly marred by the despoiling hand of man. 

Aside from the luxury of the baths which the place affords 
the visitor can find a great deal to please him. The climate 
is healthful and the weather pleasant during most of the year. 
In the near vicinity much can be found in nature that is in- 
teresting. Never-failing mountain streams, deep caiions and 
dark forests wait to be visited and explored, while curiosities 
in animal and vegetable life abound. Not far off is a place 
where perfect geodes of chalcedony are found. 

Mining and ranching are the leading industries of the 
country and a visit to some neighboring mine or cattle ranch 
is not without interest to the novice. But, if he starts out 
on such a trip he must decide to make a day of it, as the 
country is sparsely settled and the distances long between 
camps. If the accommodations where he stops are not al- 
ways luxurious the welcome is cordial and the entertainment 
comfortable. The new experience is also delightfully roman- 
tic. 



130 ARIZONA SKETCHES 



CHAPTER X 



CANON ECHOES 



THE Colorado Plateau, in northern Arizona, is the 
union of the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains 
in their southward trend, and forms the southern 
nm of the Great Basin. This depression was once a vast 
inland sea, of which nothing remains but the Salt Lake of 
Utah, and is drained by the Colorado river. The entire 
plateau region is remarkable for its grand scenery — abysmal 
chasms, sculptured buttes and towering cliffs, which are 
" brightly colored as if painted by artist Gods, not stained 
and daubed by inharmonious hues but beautiful as flowers 
and gorgeous as the clouds." The plateau is an immense 
woodland of pines known as the Coconino Forest. 

The San P>ancisco mountains, nearly thirteen thousand 
feet high, stand in the middle of the plateau which is, also, 
the center of an extensive extinct volcanic field. The whole 
country is covered with cinders which were thrown from ac- 
tive volcanoes centuries ago. The track of the Santa Fe 
Pacific railroad, clear across Arizona, is ballasted with cinders 
instead of gravel that were dug from pits on its own right of 
way. 

Near the southern base of the San Francisco mountains 
is the town of Flagstaff built in a natural forest of pine trees. 




ON THE GRAND VIEW TRAIL. 




IN' THE COCONINO FOREST. 



CANON ECHOES 133 

It is sometimes called the Skylight City because of its high 
altitude, rarefied atmosphere and brilliant sky. It is said to 
have been named by a company of soldiers who camped on 
the spot while out hunting Indians, when the country was 
new. It happened to be on the Fourth of July and they 
celebrated the day by unfurling Old Glory from the top of a 
pine tree, which was stripped of its branches and converted 
into a flagstaff. Here is located the Lowell Observatory, 
which has made many valuable discoveries in astronomy. It 
is a delightful spot and offers many attractions to the scientist, 
tourist and health seeker. 

One of the many interesting objects of this locality is the 
Ice Cave situated eight miles southwest of the town. It not 
only attracts the curious, but its congealed stores are also 
drawn on by the people who live in the vicinity when the 
domestic ice supply runs short. The cave is entered from 
the side of a ravine and its opening is arched by lava rock. 
How the ice ever got there is a mystery unless it is, as Mr, 
Volz claims, glacial ice that was covered and preserved by 
a thick coat of cinders which fell when the San Francisco 
peaks were in active eruption. As far as observed the ice 
never becomes more nor ever gets less, except what is re- 
moved by mining. 

The region is unusually attractive to the naturalist. It is 
the best field for the study of entomology that is known. 
But all nature riots here. Dr. C. Hart Merriam, in his re- 
port of a biological survey of the San Francisco mountains 
and Painted Desert, states that there are seven distinct life 
zones in a radius of twenty-five miles running the entire gamut 
from the Arctic to the Tropic* The variety of life which 



* Results of a Biological Survey of the San Francisco Mountain Region and 
Painted Desert of the Little Colorado, Arizona. iSgo. 



134 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

he found and describes cannot be duplicated in the same 
space anywhere else upon the globe. 

But the greatest natural wonder of this region and, it is 
claimed by competent judges of the whole world, is the Grand 
Caiion of Arizona, which is seventy-two miles north of Flag- 
staff. Thurber's stage line, when it was running, carried 
passengers through in one day, but after the railroad was 
built from Williams to Bright Angel the stage was abandoned. 
However it is an interesting trip and many people make it 
every summer by private conveyance who go for an outing 
and can travel leisurely. It is a good natural road and runs 
nearly the entire distance through an open pine forest. 

Two roads leave Flagstaff for the Cafion called respectively 
the summer and winter roads. The former goes west of the 
San Francisco mountains and intersects with the winter road 
that runs east of the peaks at Cedar Ranch, which was the mid- 
way station of the old stage line. The summer road is the one 
usually travelled, as the winter road is almost destitute of 
water. 

The road ascends rapidly from an elevation of seven thou- 
sand feet at Flagstaff to eleven thousand feet at the summit, 
and descends more gradually to Cedar Ranch, where the eleva- 
tion is less than five thousand feet and in distance is about half 
way to the Canon. Here cedar and pinon trees take the place 
of the taller pines. Cedar Ranch is on an arm of the Painted 
Desert, which stretches away towards the east over a wide level 
plain to the horizon. From this point the road ascends again on 
an easy grade until it reaches an elevation of eight thousand feet 
at the Caiion. 

During the long drive through the pine woods the appear- 
ance of the country gives no hint of a desert, but beautiful 
scenery greets the eye on every hand. The air is filled with 
the fragrance of pine and ozone that is as exhilaratmg as 




GRAND VIEW HOTEL. 




THUUHEK S STAGE CAMP. 



CANON ECHOES 137 

wine. No signs of severe windstorms are seen in broken 
branches and fallen trees. If an occasional tree is found ly- 
ing prostrate it was felled either by the woodman's ax or one 
of nature's destructive forces, fire or decay, or both. But the 
large number of shattered trees which are encountered dur- 
ing the day give evidence that the lightning is frequently 
very destructive in its work. The bark of the pine trees is 
of a reddish gray color, which contrasts brightly with the green 
foliage. 

The winter road furnishes even more attractions than the 
summer road on which Hne a railroad should be built through 
to the Canon. Soon after leaving town a side road leads to 
the cliff dwellings in Walnut Canon. Along the wayside a 
signboard points the direction to the Bottomless Pit, which 
is a deep hole in the ground that is only one of many such 
fissures in the earth found on the Colorado Plateau. Four 
miles east of Caiion Diablo a narrow fissure from a few inches 
to several feet wide and hundreds of feet deep has been 
traced in a continuous line over one hundred miles. 

Further on a group of cave dwellings can be seen among 
the rocks upon a distant hill. A turn in the road next brings 
the Sunset Mountain into view. Its crest glows with the 
colors of sunset, which unusual effect is produced by colored 
rocks that are of volcanic origin. Black cinders cover its 
steep sides and its brow is the rim of a deep crater. Between 
Sunset Peak and O'Leary Peak is the Black Crater from 
which flowed at one time thick streams of black lava that 
hardened into rock and are known as the lava beds. Scores 
of crater cones and miles of black cinders can be seen from 
Sunset Mountain, and lava and cinders of this region look as 
fresh as if an eruption had occurred but yesterday. 

A peculiarity of the pine trees which grow in the cinders 
is that their roots do not go down but spread out upon the 



138 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

surface. Some of the roots are entirely bare while others are 
half buried in cinders. They are from an inch to a foot thick 
and from ten to fifty feet long, according to the size of the 
tree which they support. The cause of the queer root for- 
mation is not apparent. 

The whole plateau country is scarce of water. The Grand 
Caiion drains the ground dry to an unusual depth. The 
nearest spring of water to the Caiion at Grand View is Cedar 
Spring, forty miles distant. Until recently all the water used 
at the caiion was either packed upon burros from springs down 
in the caiion or caught in ponds or reservoirs from rains or 
melted snow. Since the completion of the railroad the water 
is hauled in on cars constructed for that purpose. 

The watershed of the caiion slopes away from the rim and 
instead of the storm water running directly into the river it 
flows in the opposite direction. Only after a long detour of 
many miles does it finally reach the river by the Little Col- 
orado or Cataract Creek. 

Now that the Grand Canon is made accessible by rail over 
a branch road of the Santa ¥6 from Williams on the main 
line, it is reached in comparative ease and comfort. But to 
stop at the Bright Angel Hotel and look over the guard rail 
on the cliff down into the caiion gives merely a glimpse of 
what there is to see. A brief stay of one day is better than 
not stopping at all, but to get even an inkling of its greatness 
and grandeur days and weeks must be spent in making trips 
up and down and into the caiion. 

After having seen the caiion at Bright Angel the next move 
should be to go to Grand View fourteen miles up the caiion. 
An all day's stage ride from Flagstaff to the caiion was tire- 
some, but the two hours' drive through the pine woods from 
Bright Angel to Grand View is only pleasant recreation. 

Seeing the Grand Caiion for the first time does not neces- 




SUNSET MOUNTAIN. 




LOOKING INTO THE GHAND CANON. 



CANON ECHOES 141 

sarily produce the startling and lachrymose effects that have 
been described by some emotional writers, but the first sight 
never disappoints and always leaves a deep and lasting im- 
pression. 

As immense as is the great chasm it is formed in such 
harmonious proportions that it does not shock the senses. 
But as everything about the caflon is built on such a grand 
scale and the eyes not being accustomed to such sights it is 
impossible to comprehend it — to measure its dimensions cor- 
rectly or note every detail of form and color at the first glance. 
As the guide remarked, " God made it so d — big that you 
can't lie about it." 

To comprehend it at all requires time to re-educate the 
senses and make them accustomed to the new order of things. 
But even a cursory view will always remain in the memory 
as the event of a lifetime in the experience of the average 
mortal. 

Distance in the canon cannot be measured by the usual 
standards. There are sheer walls of rocks that are thousands 
of feet high and as many more feet deep, but where the bot- 
tom seems to be is only the beginning of other chasms which 
lie in the dark shadows and descend into yet deeper depths 
below. The canon is not a single empty chasm, w^hich is the 
universal conception of a caiion, but consists of a complex 
system of sub and side caiions that is bewildering. Out of 
its depths rise an infinite number and variety of castellated 
cliffs and sculptured buttes that represent every conceivable 
variety of architecture. They have the appearance of a res- 
urrected city of great size and beauty which might have been 
built by an army of Titans then buried and forgotten. 

A trip into the caiion dow^n one of the trails makes its 
magnitude even more impressive than a rim view. The dis- 
tance across the chasm is also much greater than what it 



142 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

seems to be, which is demonstrated by the bkie haze that fills 
the canon. The nearby buttes are perfectly distinct, but as 
the distance increases across the great gorge the haze grad- 
ually thickens until the opposite wall is almost obscured by 
the mist. 

The myriads of horizontal lines which mark the different 
strata of rocks have the appearance of a maze of telegraph 
wires strung through the caiion. 

A ride leisurely on horseback along the rim trail from 
Thurber's old camp to Bissell's Point, seven miles up the 
caiion, and back is easily made in a day. It presents a pano- 
rama of magnificent views all along the rim, but Bissell's is 
conceded to be the best view point on the caiion. From this 
point about thirty miles of river can be seen as it winds in 
and out deep down among the rocks. The Colorado river is 
a large stream, but as seen here a mile below and several 
miles out, it dwindles into insignificance and appears no larger 
than a meadow brook. The river looks placid in the distance, 
but is a raging, turbulent torrent in which an ordinary boat 
cannot live and the roar of its wild waters can be distinctly 
heard as of the rushing of a distant train of cars. 

A second day spent in riding down the caiion to Grand 
View Point and back is equally delightful. Looking across a 
bend in the caiion from Grand View Point to Bissell's Point the 
distance seems to be scarcely more than a stone's throw, yet it 
is fully half the distance of the circuitous route by the rim 
trail. 

There are three trails leading into the caiion and down to 
the river, the Bright Angel, Grand View and Hance trails, 
which are at intervals of eight and twelve miles apart. They 
are equally interesting and comparatively safe if the trip is 
made on the back of a trained pony or burro with a competent 
guide. 



CANON ECHOES 143 

The Hance trail is a loop and is twenty miles long. It is 
seven miles down to the river, six miles up the stream and 
seven miles back to the rim. It was built single handed by- 
Captain John Hance, who has lived many years in the caiion. 
The trail is free to pedestrians, but yields the captain a snug 
income from horse hire and his own services as guide for 
tourists who go over the trail. 

Captain Hance is an entertaining raconteur and he spins 
many interesting yarns for the amusement, if not the edifica- 
tion, of his guests. The serious manner in which he relates 
his stories makes it sometimes hard to tell whether he is in 
jest or earnest. His acknowledged skill in mountaineering, 
and felicity in romancing has won for him more than a local 
reputation and the distinguished title of Grand Canon Guide 
and Prevaricator. 

He relates how " once upon a time " he pursued a band of 
mountain sheep on the rim of the canon. Just as he was 
about to secure his quarry the sheep suddenly turned a short 
corner and disappeared behind some rocks. Before he real- 
ized his danger he found himself on the brink of a yawning 
abyss and under such a momentum that he could not turn 
aside or stop his horse. Together they went over the cliff 
in an awful leap. He expected to meet instant death on the 
rocks below and braced himself for the shock. As the fall 
was greater than usual, being over a mile deep in a perpendicu- 
lar line, it required several seconds for the descending bodies 
to traverse the intervening space, which gave him a few 
moments to think and plan some way of escape. At the 
critical moment a happy inspiration seized and saved him. 
On the instant that his horse struck the rock and was dashed 
to pieces, the captain sprang nimbly from the saddle to his 
feet unharmed. To prove the truth of his statement he 
never misses an opportunity to point out to the tourist the 



144 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

spot where his horse fell, and shows the white bones of his 
defunct steed bleaching in the sun. 

At Moran's Point there is a narrow cleft in the rocks which 
he calls the Fat Woman's Misery. It received its name 
several years ago from a circumstance that happened while 
he was conducting a party of tourists along the rim trail. To 
obtain a better view the party essayed to squeeze through 
the opening, in which attempt all succeeded except one fat 
women who stuck fast. After vainly trying to extricate her 
from her uncomfortable position he finally told her that there 
was but one of two things to do, either remain where she was 
and starve to death or take one chance in a thousand of being 
blown out alive by dynamite. After thinking a moment she 
decided to try the " one chance in a thousand " experi- 
ment. 

A charge of dynamite was procured and the fuse lighted. 
After the explosion he returned to the spot and found the 
result satisfactory. The blast had released the woman, who 
was alive and sitting upon a rock. He approached her cheer- 
fully and said : 

" Madam, how do you feel .-• " She looked up shocked, but 
evidently very much relieved, and replied " Why, sir, I feel 
first rate, but the jolt gave me a little toothache." 

He tells another story of how he once took a drink from 
the Colorado river. The water is never very clear in the 
muddy stream but at that particular time it was unusually 
murky. He had nothing with which to dip the water and 
lay down on the bank to take a drink. Being very thirsty 
he paid no attention to the quality of the water, but only 
knew that it tasted wet. The water, however, grew thicker 
as he drank until it became balled up in his mouth, and stuck 
fast in his throat and threatened to choke him. He tried to 
bite it off but failed because his teeth were poor. At last 




CAPTAIN JOHN HANCE AND HIS CABIN. 




AliAVAIPA CANON. 



CANON ECHOES 147 

becoming desperate, he pulled his hunting knife from his 
belt and cut himself loose from his drink. 

Different theories have been advanced to account for the 
origin of the Grand Canon, but it is a question whether it is 
altogether due to any one cause. Scientists say that it is the 
work of water erosion, but to the layman it seems impossible. 
If an ocean of water should flow over rocks during eons of 
ages it does not seem possible that it could cut such a 
channel. 

Water sometimes does queer things, but it has never been 
known to reverse nature. By a fundamental law of hydro- 
statics water always seeks its level and flows in the direction 
of least resistance. If water ever made the Grand Canon it 
had to climb a hill and cut its way through the backbone of 
the Buckskin mountains, which are not a range of peaks but 
a broad plateau of solid rock. Into this rock the caiion is 
sunk more than a mile deep, from six to eighteen miles wide 
and over two hundred miles long. 

In order to make the theory of water erosion tenable it is 
assumed that the Colorado river started in its incipiency like 
any other river. After a time the river bed began to rise and 
was gradually pushed up more and more by some unknown 
subterranean force as the water cut deeper and deeper into 
the rock until the Grand Caiion was formed. 

Captain Hance has a theory that the canon originated in 
an underground stream which tunneled until it cut its way 
through to the surface. As improbable as is this theory it 
is as plausible as the erosion theory, but both theories appear 
to be equally absurd. 

At some remote period of time the entire southwest was 
rent and torn by an awful cataclysm which caused numerous 
fissures and seams to appear all over the country. The force 
that did the work had its origin in the earth and acted by 



148 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

producing lateral displacement rather than direct upheaval. 
Whenever that event occurred the fracture which marks the 
course of the Grand Cafion was made and, breaking through 
the inclosing wall of the Great Basin, set free the waters 
of an inland sea. What the seismic force began the flood 
of liberated water helped to finish, and there was born the 
greatest natural wonder of the known world. 

There are canons all over Arizona and the southwest that 
resemble the Grand Canon, except that they were made on a 
smaller scale. Many of them are perfectly dry and appar- 
ently never contained any running water. They are all so 
much alike that they were evidently made at the same time 
and by the same cause. Walnut Caiion and Canon Diablo 
are familiar examples of caiion formation. 

The rocks in the caflons do not stand on end, but lie in 
horizontal strata and show but little dip anywhere. Indeed, 
the rocks lie so plumb in many places that they resemble the 
most perfect masonry. 

The rim rock of the Mogollon Mesa is of the same charac- 
ter as the walls of the Grand Caiion and is an important part 
of the caiion system. It is almost a perpendicular cliff from 
one to three thousand feet high which extends from east to 
west across central Arizona and divides the great northern 
plateau from the southern valleys. It is one side of an im- 
mense vault or canon wall whose mate has been lost or 
dropped completely out of sight. 

In many of the canons where water flows continuously, ef- 
fects are produced that are exactly the opposite of those 
ascribed to water erosion. Instead of the running water cut- 
ting deeper into the earth it has partly filled the caiion with 
alluvium, thereby demonstrating nature's universal leveling 
process. Even the floods of water which pour through them 
during every rainy season with an almost irresistible force 



CANON ECHOES 149 

carry in more soil than they wash out and every freshet only 
adds new soil to the old deposits. If these caiions were all 
originally made by water erosion as is claimed, why does not 
the water continue to act in the same manner now but, in- 
stead, completely reverses itself as above stated ? There 
can be but one of two conclusions, either that nature has 
changed or that scientists are mistaken. 

The Aravaipa in southern Arizona is an interesting canon 
and is typical of its kind. Its upper half is shallow and 
bounded by low rolling foothills, but in the middle it suddenly 
deepens and narrows into a box cafion, which has high per- 
pendicular walls of solid rock like the Grand Cafion. It is a 
long, narrow valley sunk deep into the earth and has great 
fertility and much wild beauty. It measures from a few feet 
to a mile in width and drains a large scope of rough country. 
The surface water which filters through from above reappears 
in numerous springs of clear cold water in the bottom of the 
canon. In the moist earth and under the shade of forest 
trees grow a variety of rare flowers, ferns and mosses. 

Where the canon begins to box a large spring of pure 
cold water issues from the sand in the bottom of a wash 
which is the source of the Aravaipa creek. It flows through 
many miles of rich alluvial land and empties into the San 
Predo river. The valley was settled many years ago by men 
who were attracted to the spot by its rare beauty, fertility of 
soil and an abundance of wood and water. 

The land is moist and covered by a heavy growth of for- 
est trees, which will average over one hundred feet high. 
The trees are as large and the foliage as dense as in any 
eastern forest. Being sunk deep in the earth the narrow 
valley at the bottom of the caiion can only be seen from 
above. When viewed from some favorable point it has the 
appearance of a long green ribbon stretched loosely o\ er a 



150 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

brown landscape. The sight of it is a pleasant surprise to 
the weary wayfarer who, after traveling over many miles of 
dreary desert road, finds himself suddenly ushered into such 
pleasant scenes. 

The canons of Arizona are unrivaled for grandeur, sub- 
limity and beauty, and will attract an ever increasing num- 
ber of admirers. 




WESTERN SLOPE OF THE METEORITE MOUXTAIN. 




EASTERN SLOPE OF THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN. 



THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN 153 



CHAPTER XI 



THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN 



TEN miles southeast of Caiion Diablo station on the 
Santa Fe Pacific Railroad, stands the Meteorite 
Mountain of Arizona, on a wide, open plain of 
the Colorado Plateau. It is two hundred feet high and, as 
seen at a distance, has the appearance of a low, flat moun- 
tain. Its top forms the rim of an immense, round, bowl- 
shaped hole in the ground that has almost perpendicular 
sides, is one mile wide and over six hundred feet deep. The 
hole, originally, was evidently very much deeper than it is at 
the present time, but it has gradually become filled with de- 
bris to its present depth. The bottom of the hole has a floor 
of about forty acres of level ground which merges into a 
talus. 

This formation is sometimes called the Crater, because of 
its shape, but there is no evidence of volcanic action. Lo- 
cally it is known as Coon Butte, which is a misnomer ; but 
Meteorite Mountain is a name with a meaning. 

It is not known positively just how or when the mountain 
was formed, but the weight of evidence seems to favor the 
meteorite theory, which is that at some remote period of time 
a monster meteorite fell from the sky and buried itself in the 
earth. 



154 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

Mr. F. W. Volz, who has Hved in the country twenty years, 
and is an intelligent observer of natural phenomena, has made 
a careful study of the mountain, and it is his opinion that 
such an event actually occurred and that a falling star made 
the mountain. When the descending meteorite, with its 
great weight and terrific momentum, hit the earth something 
had to happen. It buried itself deep beneath the surface, 
and caused the earth to heave up on all sides. The effect 
produced is aptly illustrated, on a small scale, by throwing a 
rock into thick mud. 

The impact of the meteorite upon the earth not only caused 
an upheaval of the surface, but it also crushed and displaced 
the rocks beneath. As the stellar body penetrated deeper 
into the earth its force became more concentrated and either 
compressed the rocks into a denser mass or ground them to 
powder. 

The plain on which the mountain stands is covered by a 
layer of red sandstone of variable thickness, as it is much 
worn in places by weather erosion. Below the top covering 
of red sandstone lie three hundred feet of limestone and be- 
neath the limestone five hundred feet more of white sandstone. 
This arrangement of the rocks is plainly seen in the walls of 
Caiion Diablo. 

The displaced strata of rocks in the hole are tilted and 
stand outwards and great boulders of red sandstone and lime- 
stone lie scattered all about. If the hole had been made by 
an explosion from below large pieces of rock from each one 
of the different rock strata would have been thrown out ; but, 
while as just stated, there are plenty of huge blocks of red 
sandstone and limestone, there are no large pieces of white 
sandstone. After the superficial layers of rock had been 
broken up and expelled en masse, the deeper rock of white 
sandstone, being more confined, could not reach the surface 



*}nmmwfi^:!»^ 





**» 



■^Sf^ 



"THP: (HATER, " METEOKITE MOUXTAIX. 




WHITE SAND ON THE METEOKITE MOUNTAIN. 



THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN 157 

in the shape of boulders, but had first to be broken up and 
ground to powder before it could escape. Then the white 
sandstone, in the form of fine sand was blown skywards by 
the collision and afterwards settled down upon the mountain. 
The mountain is covered with this white sand, which could 
only have come out of the big hole as there is no other white 
sand or sandstone found anywhere else upon the entire 
plain. 

In the vicinity of the mountain about ten tons of meteor- 
ites have been found, varying in size from the fraction of an 
ounce to one thousand pounds or more. Most of the meteor- 
ites were found by Mr. Volz, who searched diligently every 
foot of ground for miles around. The smaller pieces were 
picked up on or near the rim, and they increased in size in 
proportion as they were distant from the mountain until, on 
a circle eight miles out, the largest piece was found. Meteor- 
ites were found upon all sides of the mountain but they seemed 
to be thickest on the east side. 

The writer first visited the mountain in the summer of 1901 
and it was the greatest surprise of his si.x weeks' trip sight- 
seeing in northern Arizona where are found many natural 
wonders. He was fortunate enough to find a three pound 
meteorite within five minutes after arriving on the rim, which 
Mr. Volz said was the first specimen found by anyone in over 
four years. 

Professor G. K. Gilbert of the United States Geological 
Survey visited the mountain several years ago to investigate 
the phenomenon and, if possible, to determine its origin by 
scientific test. He gave the results of his researches in a 
very able and comprehensive address,* delivered before the 
Geological Society of Washington, D. C. The existing con- 

* The Origin of Hypotheses. 1895. 



158 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

ditions did not seem to fit his theories, and he concluded 
his work without arriving at any definite conclusion. 

After disposing of several hypotheses as being incompe- 
tent to prove the origin of the mountain he decided to try the 
magnetic test. He assumed that if such a meteorite was 
buried there the large mass of metallic iron must indicate its 
presence by magnetic attraction. By means of the latest 
scientific apparatus he conducted an elaborate magnetic ex- 
periment which gave only negative results. 

He discussed at length the various hypotheses which might 
explain the origin of the crater and concluded his notable ad- 
dress as follows : 

" Still another contribution to the subject, w^hile it does 
not increase the number of hypotheses, is nevertheless im- 
portant in that it tends to diminish the weight of the magnetic 
evidence and thus to reopen the question which Mr. Baker 
and I supposed we had settled. Our fellow-member, Mr. 
Edwin E. Howell, through whose hands much of the meteoric 
iron had passed, points out that each of the iron masses, great 
and small, is in itself a complete individual. They have none 
of the characters that W'ould be found if they had been broken 
one from another, and yet, as they are all of one type and all 
reached the earth within a small district, it must be supposed 
that they were originally connected in some way. 

" Reasoning by analogy from the characters of other 
meteoric bodies, he infers that the irons were all included in 
a large mass of some different material, either crystalline 
rock, such as constitutes the class of meteorites called 'stony,' 
or else a compound of iron and sulphur, similar to certain 
nodules discovered inside the iron masses when sawn in two. 
Neither of these materials is so enduring as iron, and the fact 
that they are not now found on the plain does not prove their 
original absence. Moreover, the plain is strewn in the vicin- 




CASA BLANCA, CANON DE CHELLY. 



THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN 161 

ity of the crater with bits of Hmonite, a mineral frequently 
produced by the action of air and water on iron sulphides, 
and this material is much more abundant than the iron. If 
it be true that the iron masses were thus imbedded, like plums 
in an astral pudding, the hypothetic buried star might have 
great size and yet only small power to attract the magnetic 
needle. Mr. Howell also proposes a qualification of the test 
by volumes, suggesting that some of the rocks beneath the 
buried star might have been condensed by the shock so as to 
occupy less space. 

" These considerations are eminently pertinent to the 
study of the crater and will find appropriate place in any com- 
prehensive discussion of its origin ; but the fact which is 
peculiarly worthy of note at the present time is their ability 
to unsettle a conclusion that was beginning to feel itself se- 
cure. This illustrates the tentative nature not only of the 
hypotheses of science, but of what science calls its results. 

" The method of hypotheses, and that method is the method 
of science, founds its explanations of nature wholly on ob- 
served facts, and its results are ever subject to the limitations 
imposed by imperfect observation. However grand, however 
widely accepted, however useful its conclusions, none is so 
sure that it cannot be called into question by a newly dis- 
covered fact. In the domain of the world's knowledge there 
is no infallibility." 

After Prof. Gilbert had finished his experiments, Mr. Volz 
tried some of his own along the same line. He found upon 
trial that the meteorites in his possession were non-magnetic, 
or, practically so. If these, being pieces of the larger mete- 
orite which was buried in the hole, were non-magnetic, all of 
it must be non-magnetic, which would account for the failure 
of the needle to act or manifest any magnetic attraction in 
the greater test. 



162 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

Mr. Volz also made another interesting discovery in this 
same connection. All over the meteorite zone are scattered 
about small pieces of iron which he calls " iron shale." It 
is analogous to the true meteorite, but is " burnt " or " dead." 
He regards these bits of iron as dead sparks from a celestial 
forge, which fell from the meteorite as it blazed through the 
heavens. 

In experimenting with the stuff he found that it was not 
only highly magnetic, but also possessed polarity in a marked 
degree ; and was entirely different from the true meteorite. 
Here was a curiosity, indeed ; a small, insignificant and unat- 
tractive stone possessed of strong magnetic polarity, a property 
of electricity that is as mysterious and incomprehensible as 
is electricity itself. 

Another peculiarity of Caiion Diablo meteorite is that it 
contains diamonds. When the meteorite was first discovered 
by a Mexican sheep herder he supposed that he had found a 
large piece of silver, because of its great weight and luster, 
but he was soon informed of his mistake. Not long afterwards 
a white prospector who heard of the discovery undertook to 
use it to his own advantage, by claiming that he had found a 
mine of pure iron, which he offered for sale. In an attempt 
to dispose of the property samples of the ore were sent east 
for investigation. Some of the stone fell into the hands of 
Dr. Foote, who pronounced it to be meteorite and of celestial 
origin. 

Sir William Crookes in discussing the theory of the mete- 
oric origin of diamonds * says," the most striking confirmation 
of the meteoric theory comes from Arizona. Here, on a 
broad open plain, over an area about five miles in diameter, 
were scattered from one to two thousand masses of metallic 
iron, the fragments varying in weight from half a ton to a 

* Diamonds. Wm. Crookes, F. R. S. Smithsonian Report. 1897. 




VOLZ'S KAXCH, CANON DIABLO. 




CLIFF HOUSES, CANON DEL MUERTO. 



THE METEORITE MOUNTAIN 165 

fraction of an ounce. There is little doubt that these masses 
formed part of a meteorite shower, although no record exists 
as to when the fall took place. Curiously enough, near the 
center, where most of the meteorities have been found, is 
a crater with raised edges three quarters of a mile in diam- 
eter and about six hundred feet deep, bearing exactly the 
appearance which would be produced had a mighty mass of 
iron or falHng star struck the ground, scattering in all direc- 
tions, and buried itself deep under the surface. Altogether 
ten tons of this iron have been collected, and specimens of 
Canyon Diablo Meteorite are in most collectors' cabinets. 

'* An ardent mineralogist, the late Dr. Foote, in cutting 
a section of this meteorite, found the tools were injured by 
something vastly harder than metallic iron, and an emery 
wheel used in grinding the iron had been ruined. He exam- 
ined the specimen chemically, and soon after announced to 
the scientific world that the Canyon Diablo Meteorite con- 
tained black and transparent diamonds. This startling dis- 
covery was afterwards verified by Professors Friedel and 
Moissan, who found that the Canyon Diablo Meteorite con- 
tained the three varieties of carbon — diamond (transparent 
and black), graphite and amorphous carbon. Since this reve- 
lation the search for diamonds in meteorites has occupied the 
attention of chemists all over the world. 

" Here, then, we have absolute proof of the truth of the 
meteoric theory. Under atmospheric influences the iron 
would rapidly oxidize and rust away, coloring the adjacent 
soil with red oxide of iron. The meteoric diamonds would 
be unaffected and left on the surface to be found by explorers 
when oxidation had removed the last proof of their celestial 
origin. That there are still lumps of iron left in Arizona is 
merely due to the extreme dryness of the climate and the 
comparatively short time that the iron has been on our planet. 



166 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

We are here witnesses to the course of an event which may 
have happened in geologic times anywhere on the earth's sur- 
face." 

About a year ago several mineral claims were located in 
the crater by a company of scientific and moneyed men. The 
required assessment work was done and a patent for the land 
obtained from the government. The object of the enterprise 
is for a double purpose, if possible to solve the mystery of 
the mountain, and if successful in finding the " hypothetic 
buried star" to excavate and appropriate it for its valuable 
iron. 

A shaft has been sunk one hundred and ninety-five feet 
deep, where a strong flow of water was encountered in a bed 
of white sand which temporarily stopped the work. A gaso- 
line engine and drill were procured and put in operation and 
the drill was driven down forty feet further when it stuck 
fast in white quicksand. It is the intention of the company 
to continue the work and carry it on to a successful finish. 

Nothing of value was found in the hole dug, but some of 
the workmen in their leisure hours found on the surface two 
large meteorites weighing one hundred and one hundred and 
fifty pounds respectively, besides a number of smaller frag- 
ments. 

The Meteorite Mountain is in a class by itself and is, in a 
way, as great a curiosity as is the Grand Canon. It is little 
known and has not received the attention that it deserves. 
It is, indeed, marvelous and only needs to be seen to be 
appreciated. 



THE CLIFF DWELLERS 167 



CHAPTER Xn 



THE CLIFF DWELLERS 



IN the canons of the Colorado river and its tributaries 
are found the ruins of an ancient race of cUff dwellers. 
These ruins are numerous and are scattered over a wide 
scope of country, which includes Arizona and portions of 
Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Many of them are yet in 
a good state of preservation, but all show the marks of age 
and decay. They are not less than four hundred years old 
and are, in all probability, much older. Their preservation 
is largely due to their sheltered position among the rocks and 
an exceptionally dry climate. 

The houses are invariably built upon high cliffs on shelv- 
ing rocks in places that are almost inaccessible. In some 
instances they can only be reached by steps cut into the solid 
rock, which are so old and worn that they are almost obliter- 
ated. Their walls so nearly resemble the stratified rocks 
upon which they stand, that they are not easily distinguished 
from their surroundings. 

The cliffs are often sloping, sometimes overhanging, but 
more frequently perpendicular. The weather erosion of 
many centuries has caused the softer strata of exposed rocks 
in ihe cliffs to disintegrate and fall away, which left number- 
less caverns wherein this ancient and mysterious people chose 



168 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

to build their eyrie homes to live with the eagles. The houses 
are built of all shapes and sizes and, apparently, were planned 
to fit the irregular and limited space of their environment. 
Circular watch towers look down from commanding heights 
which, from their shape and position, were evidently intended 
to serve the double purpose of observation and defense. 

In the search for evidence of their antiquity it is believed 
that data has been found which denotes great age. In the 
construction of some of their houses, notably those in the 
Mancos Caiion, is displayed a technical knowledge of archi- 
tecture and a mathematical accuracy which savages do not 
possess ; and the fine masonry of dressed stone and superior 
cement seem to prove that Indians were not the builders. 
On the contrary, to quote a recent writer, " The evidence 
goes to show that the work was done by skilled workmen 
who were white masons and who built for white people in a 
prehistoric age," In this connection it is singular, if not 
significant, that the natives when first discovered believed in 
a bearded white man whom they deified as the Fair God of 
whose existence they had obtained knowledge from some 
source and in whose honor they kept their sacred altar fires 
burning unquenched. 

The relics that have been found in the ruins are principally 
implements of the stone age, but are of sufficient variety to 
indicate a succession of races that were both primitive and 
cultured and as widely separated in time as in knowledge. 

The cliff dwellings were not only the abodes of their 
original builders, but were occupied and deserted successively 
by the chipped stone implement maker, the polisher of hard 
stone, the basket maker and the weaver. 

Among the relics that have been found in the ruins are 
some very fine specimens of pottery which are as sym- 
metrical and well finished as if they had been turned on 




CLIFF RTIXS, CANON DEL MUERTO. 




CANON DEL MUEKTO. 



THE CLIFF DWELLERS 171 

a potter's wheel, and covered with an opaque enamel of 
stanniferous glaze composed of lead and tin that originated 
with the Phoenicians, and is as old as history. Can it be 
possible that the cliff dwellers are a lost fragment of Egyptian 
civilization ? 

The cliff ruins in Arizona are not only found in the canons 
of the Colorado river, but also in many other places. The 
finest of them are Montezuma's Castle on Beaver creek, and 
the Casa Blanca in Caiion de Chelly. Numerous other 
ruins are found on the Rio Verde, Gila river, Walnut Canon 
and elsewhere. 

The largest and finest group of cliff dwellings are those 
on the Mesa Verde in Colorado. They are fully described 
in the great work* of Nordenskiold, who spent much time 
among them. The different houses are named after some 
peculiarity of appearance or construction, like the Cliff 
Palace, which contains more than one hundred rooms. Long 
House, Balcony House, Spruce Tree House, etc. 

He obtained a large quantity of relics, which are also fully 
described, consisting of stone implements, pottery, cotton 
and feather cloth, osier and palmillo mats, yucca sandals, 
weaving sticks, bone awls, corn and beans. 

Many well-preserved mummies were found buried in 
graves that were carefully closed and sealed. The bodies 
were wrapped in a fine cotton cloth of drawn work, which 
was covered by a coarser cloth resembling burlap, and all in- 
closed in a wrapping of palmillo matting tied with a cord 
made of the fiber of cedar bark. The hair is fine and of a 
brown color, and not coarse and black like the hair of the 
wild Indians. Mummies have been exhumed that have red 
or light colored hair such as usually goes with a fair skin. 

* The Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde, by F. Nordenskiold, Stockholm. 
1893. 



172 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

This fact has led some to beUeve that the cliff dwellers be- 
longed to the white race, but not necessarily so, as this 
quality of hair also belongs to albinos, who doubtless lived 
among the cliff dwellers as they do among the Moquis and 
Zuilis at the present day, and explains the peculiarity of hair 
just mentioned. 

These remains may be very modern, as some choose to be- 
lieve, but, in all probability, they are more ancient than mod- 
ern. Mummies incased in wood and cloth have been taken 
from the tombs of Egypt in an almost perfect state of pres- 
ervation which cannot be less than two thousand years old, 
and are, perhaps, more than double that age. As there is no 
positive knowledge as to when the cliff dwellers flourished, 
one man's guess on the subject is as good as another's. 

An important discovery was recently made near Mancos, 
Colorado, where a party of explorers found in some old cliff 
dwellings graves beneath graves that were entirely different 
from anything yet discovered. They were egg-shaped, built 
of stone and plastered smoothly with clay. They contained 
mummies, cloth, sandals, beads and various other trinkets. 
There was no pottery, but many well-made baskets, and their 
owners have been called the basket makers. There was also 
a difference in the skulls found. The cliff dwellers' skull is 
short and flattened behind, while the skulls that were found 
in these old graves were long, narrow and round on the 
back.* 

Rev. H, M. Baum, who has traveled all over the south- 
west and visited every large ruin in the country, considers 
that Canon de Chelly and its branch, del Muerto, is the most 
interesting prehistoric locality in the United States. The 
Navajos, who now live in the canon, have a tradition that the 

* An Elder Brother of the Chff Dwellers, by T. M. Prudden, M. D. Har- 
per's Magazine, June, 1897. 




EXPLORING THE CANON. 




ON THE RIM TRAIL. 



THE CLIFF DWELLERS 175 

people who occupied the old cliff houses were all destroyed 
in one day by a wind of fire.* The occurrence, evidently, 
was similar to what happened recently on the island of Mar- 
tinique, when all the inhabitants of the village of St. Pierre 
perished in an hour by the eruption of Mont Pelee. 

Contemporaneous with the cliff dwellers there seems to 
have lived a race of people in the adjoining valleys who built 
cities and tilled the soil. Judged by their works they must 
have been an industrious, intelligent and numerous people. 
All over the ground are strewn broken pieces of pottery that 
are painted in bright colors and artistic designs which, after 
ages of exposure to the weather, look as fresh as if newly 
made. The relics that have been taken from the ruins are 
similar to those found in the cliff houses, and consist mostly 
of stone implements and pottery. 

In the Gila valley, near the town of Florence, stands the 
now famous Casa Grande ruin, which is the best preserved 
of all these ancient cities. It was a ruin when the Spaniards 
first discovered it, and is a type of the ancient communal 
house. Its thick walls are composed of a concrete adobe 
that is as hard as rock, and its base lines conform to the 
cardinal points of the compass. It is an interesting relic of 
a past age and an extinct race and, if it cannot yield up its 
secrets to science, it at least appeals to the spirit of ro- 
mance and mystery. 

Irrigating ditches which were fed from reservoirs supplied 
their fields and houses with water. Portions of these old 
canals are yet in existence and furnish proof of the diligence 
and skill of their builders. The ditches were located on levels 
that could not be improved upon for utilizing the land and 
water to the best advantage. Modern engineers have not 

* Pueblo and Cliff Dwellers of the Southwest. Records of the Past. De- 
cember, 1902. 



176 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

been able to better them and in many places the old levels 
are used in new ditches at the present time. 

Whatever may have been the fate of this ancient people 
their destruction must be sought in natural causes rather than 
by human warfare. An adverse fate probably cut off their 
water supply and laid waste their productive fields. With 
their crops a failure and all supplies gone what else could the 
people do but either starve or move, but as to the nature of 
the exodus history is silent. 

Just how ancient these works are might be difficult to prove, 
but they are certainly not modern. The evidence denotes 
that they have existed a long time. Where the water in 
a canal flowed over solid rock the rock has been much 
worn. Portions of the old ditches are filled with lava and 
houses lie buried in the vitreous flood. It is certain that the 
country was inhabited prior to the last lava flow whether that 
event occurred hundreds or thousands of years ago. 

It is claimed that the Pueblo Indians and cliff dwellers are 
identical and that the latter were driven from their peaceful 
valley homes by a hostile foe to find temporary shelter among 
the rocks, but such a conclusion seems to be erroneous in view 
of certain facts. 

The cliff dwellings were not temporary camps, as such a 
migration would imply, but places of permanent abode. The 
houses are too numerous and well constructed to be accounted 
for on any other hypothesis. A people fleeing periodically 
to the cliffs to escape from an enemy could not have built 
such houses. Indeed, they are simply marvelous when con- 
sidered as to location and construction. The time that must 
necessarily have been consumed in doing the work and the 
amount of danger and labor invoh^ed — labor in preparing and 
getting the material into place and danger in scaling the dizzy 
heights over an almost impassible trail, it seems the boldest 




OUR CAMP IN CAXON DE CHELLY. 




CHIN LEE, CAXON DE CHELLY. 



THE CLIFF DWELLERS 179 

assumption to assert that the work was done by a fleeing and 
demoralized mob. 

Again, it would be a physical impossibility for a people who 
were only accustomed to agricultural pursuits to suddenly 
and completely change their habits of life such as living among 
the rocks would necessitate. Only by native instinct and 
daily practice from childhood would it be possible for any 
people to follow the narrow and difficult paths which were 
habitually traveled by the cliff dwellers. It requires a clear 
head and steady nerves to perform the daring feat in safety — 
to the truth of which statement modern explorers can tes- 
tify who have made the attempt in recent years at the peril 
of life and limb while engaged in searching for archaeological 
treasures. 

Judged by the everyday life that is familiar to us it seems 
incredible that houses should ever have been built or homes 
established in such hazardous places, or that any people should 
have ever lived there. But that they did is an established 
fact as there stand the houses which were built and occupied 
by human beings in the midst of surroundings that might 
appall the stoutest heart. Children played and men and 
women wrought on the brink of frightful precipices in a space 
so limited and dangerous that a single misstep made it fatal. 

It is almost impossible to conceive of any condition in life, 
or combination of circumstances in the affairs of men, that 
should drive any people to the rash act of living in the houses 
of the cliff dwellers. Men will sometimes do from choice 
what they cannot be made to do by compulsion. It is easier 
to believe that the cliff dwellers, being free people, chose of 
their own accord the site of their habitation rather than that 
from any cause they were compelled to make the choice. 
Their preference was to live upon the cliffs, as they were 
fitted by nature for such an environment. 



180 - ARIZONA SKETCHES 

For no other reason, apparently, do the Moquis live upon 
their rocky and barren mesas away from everything which 
the civilized white man deems desirable, yet, in seeming con- 
tentment. The Supais, likewise, choose to live alone at the 
bottom of Cataract Caiion where they are completely shut 
in by high cliffs. Their only road out is by a narrow and 
dangerous trail up the side of the caiion, which is little traveled 
as they seldom leave home and are rarely visited. 

To affirm that the cliff dwellers were driven from their 
strongholds and dispersed by force is pure fiction, nor is 
there any evidence to support such a theory. That they had 
enemies no one doubts, but, being in possession of an impreg- 
nable position where one man could successfully withstand a 
thousand, to surrender would have been base cowardice, and 
weakness was not a characteristic of the cliff dwellers. 

The question of their subsistence is likewise a puzzle. They 
evidently cultivated the soil where it was practicable to do 
so as fragments of farm products have been found in their 
dwellings, but in the vicinity of some of the houses there is 
no tillable land and the inhabitants must have depended upon 
other means for support. The wild game which was, doubt- 
less, abundant furnished them with meat and edible seeds, 
fruits and roots from native plants like the piiion pine and 
mesquite which together with the saguaro and mescal, sup- 
plied them with a variety of food sufficient for their subsist- 
ence as they do, in a measure, the wild Indian tribes of that 
region at the present day. 



THE MOQUI INDIANS 181 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE MOQUI INDIANS 

THE Indians of Arizona are, perhaps, the most in- 
teresting of any of the American aborigines. They 
are as unique and picturesque as is the land which 
they inhabit ; and the dead are no less so than the living. 

The Pueblo Indians, with which the Moquis are classed, 
number altogether about ten thousand and are scattered in 
twenty-six villages over Arizona and New Mexico. They re- 
semble each other in many respects, but do not all speak the 
same language. They represent several wholly disconnected 
stems and are classified linguistically by Brinton as belonging 
to the Uto-Aztecan, Kera, Tehua and Zuiii stocks. He be- 
lieves that the Pueblo civilization is not due to any one un- 
usually gifted lineage, but is altogether a local product, 
developed in independent tribes by their peculiar environment, 
which is favorable to agriculture and sedentary pursuits.* 

The houses are constructed of stone and adobe, are several 
stories high and contain many apartments. None of the ex- 
isting pueblos are as large as some that are in ruins which, 
judging by the quantity of debris, must have been huge af- 
fairs. Since the advent of the Spaniard the style of building 
has changed somewhat to conform to modern ideas, so that 

*The American Race, by D. G. Brinton, 1891. 



182 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

now some families live in separate one-story houses having 
doors and windows, instead, as formerly, only in large com- 
munal houses that were built and conducted on the communal 
plan. 

Their manners and customs are peculiar to themselves and 
make an interesting study. Their civilization is entirely 
original, though modified to some extent by centuries of con- 
tact with the whites. They understand the Spanish language, 
but have not forgotten their mother tongue. They hold 
tenaciously to their old customs and have not changed ma- 
terially during the past four hundred years. 

During that time the Catholic missionaries endeavored to 
convert them to Christianity, but with only partial success. 
While they appeared to acquiesce, by giving formal obedience 
to the requirements of the new religion, they yet held sacred 
their old beliefs and in the privacy of the estufa practiced in 
secret the rites and ceremonies of their ancient faith. 

The Spaniards undertook to conquer a free and independent 
people by teaching them dependence and submission, but 
signally failed. After a struggle of two hundred and eighty 
years Spanish civilization withdrew and left the Pueblo civil- 
ization victorious. 

Under successive Spanish, Mexican and American rule the 
Pueblo has preserved itself intact which fact stamps the Pueblo 
people as being eminently valiant, self-reliant and persevering. 
They are peaceable, industrious and hospitable and are said 
to be the best governed people in the world. As nearly as 
can be ascertained they are free from every gross vice and 
crime and Mr. C. F. Lummis, who knows them well, believes 
them to be a crimeless people. 

The Moquis of Arizona are the most primitive of the Pueblo 
Indians and are worthy representatives of their race. They 
are of the Aztecan branch of the Shoshonean family and 




MOQUI GIRL, ORAIBI. 




WATER CARRIER, WAL' -PI. 



THE MOOUI INDIANS 185 

probably the lineal descendants of the cliff dwellers. Their 
home is on the Painted Desert in northeastern Arizona where 
they have lived for many centuries. It is a barren and des- 
olate spot and has been likened to Hades with its fires extin- 
guished. Nevertheless it is an exceedingly interesting region 
and furnishes many attractions. The landscape is highly 
picturesque and the phantasmagoric effects of the rarefied 
atmosphere are bewitching. 

In the early Spanish days Moqui land was designated as 
the Province of Tusayan and was shrouded in mystery. The 
seven Moqui towns were at one time regarded as the seven 
Cities of Cibola, but later it was decided that Zuiii and not 
Moqui was the true Cibola. 

When Coronado, at the head of his intrepid army, marched 
through the land in the year 1540, he procured native guides 
to aid him in exploring the country, hoping to find fabulous 
wealth which failed to materialize. He heard of a race of 
giants whom he wished to meet, but instead of finding them 
discovered a river with banks so high that they '* seemed to 
be raised three or four leagues into the air." What he saw 
was the Colorado River with its gigantic cafion walls and 
wealth of architectural grandeur and beauty. The bewilder- 
ing sight naturally astonished him as it does every beholder. 
Think of a fissure in the earth over a mile deep ! But the 
Grand Canon of Arizona is more than a simple fissure in the 
earth. It is composed of many canons which form a seem- 
ingly endless labyrinth of winding aisles and majestic avenues 
— fit promenades for the Gods. 

The land of the Moquinos is full of surprises and, although 
they are not all as startling as the Grand Cafion, they are 
sufficiently striking to make Arizona a wonderland that is 
secbnd to none on the continent. 

The Moquis live in seven towns or pueblos which are built 



186 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

upon three rocky mesas that are many miles apart. The 
mesas are about seven thousand feet above sea level and from 
six to eight hundred feet higher than the surrounding plain. 
Upon the first or eastern mesa are located the three towns of 
Te-wa, Si-chom-ovi and Wal'-pi. Tewa is the newest of 
the three towns and was built by the Tehuan allies who came 
as refugees from the Rio Grande after the great rebellion of 
1680. They were granted permission to build on the spot 
by agreeing to defend the Gap, where the trail leaves the 
mesa, against all intruders. 

Upon the second or middle mesa are the towns of Mi- 
shong'-novi, Shi-pauli-ovi and Shong-6-pavi ; and on the third 
mesa is O-rai'-bi, which is the largest of the Moqui villages 
and equal to the other six in size and population. The entire 
population of the seven Moqui towns numbers about two thou- 
sand souls. 

In 1583 Espejo estimated that the Moquis numbered fifty 
thousand, which, doubtless, was an over estimate, as he has 
been accused of exaggeration. However, since their discov- 
ery their numbers have greatly diminished and steadily con- 
tinue to decrease, as if it were also to be their fate to become 
extinct like the ancient cliff dwellers. 

The Moqui Pueblos are well protected by natural barriers 
upon all sides except towards the south. Perched upon their 
high mesas the people have been safe from every attack of 
an enemy, but their fields and flocks in the valley below 
were defenseless. The top of the several mesas can only be 
reached by ascending steep and difificult trails which are hard 
to climb but easy to defend. The paths on the mesas have 
been cut deep into the hard rock, which were worn by the 
soft tread of moccasined feet during centuries of travel, num- 
bering, perhaps, several times the four hundred years that 
are known to history. 





KEAM S CANON SCHOOL. 



THE MOOUI INDIANS 189 

The houses are built of stone and mortar, and rise in ter- 
races from one to five stories high, back from a street or court 
to a sheer wall. Some of the remodeled and newly built 
houses have modern doors and windows. The upper stories 
are reached from the outside by ladders and stone stairways 
built into the walls. The rooms are smoothly plastered and 
whitewashed and the houses are kept tidy and clean, but the 
streets are dirty and unsanitary. 

In these sky cities the Moquis live a retired life that is 
well suited to their quiet dispositions, love of home life and 
tireless industry. The men are kind, the women virtuous 
and the children obedient. Indeed, the children are un- 
usually well behaved. They seldom quarrel or cry, and a 
spoiled child cannot be found among them. The Moquis 
love peace, and never fight among themselves. If a dis- 
pute occurs it is submitted to a peace council of old men, 
whose decision is final and obeyed without a murmur. 

They are shy and suspicious of strangers, but if addressed 
by the magic word lolomi, their reserve is instantly gone. It 
is the open sesame to their hearts and homes, and after that 
the house contains nothing too good to bestow upon the wel- 
come guest. They are true children of nature, and have not 
yet become corrupted by the vices of white civilization. The 
worst thing they do is that the men smoke tobacco. 

Their industries are few, but afford sufficient income to 
provide for their modest needs. They are primarily tillers 
of the soil, and as agriculturists succeed under circumstances 
that would wholly baffle and discourage an eastern farmer. 
Several years ago a man was sent out from Washington to 
teach the Moquis agriculture, but before a year had passed 
the teacher had to buy corn from the Indians. 

They make baskets and pottery, weave cloth and dress 
skins for their own use and to barter in trade with their 



190 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

neighbors. They like silver and have skilled workmen who 
make the white metal into beads and buttons and various 
trinkets for personal adornment. They care nothing for 
gold, and silver is their only money. Chalchihuitl is their 
favorite gem and to own a turquoise stone is regarded as an 
omen of good fortune to the happy possessor. 

Just how the Spaniards got the notion that the Moquis 
loved gold and possessed vast stores of that precious metal 
is not apparent unless it be, as Bandelier suggests, that it 
originated in the myth of the El Dorado, or Gilded Man.* 
The story started at Lake Guatanita in Bogota, and trav- 
eled north to Quivera, but the wealth that the Spaniards 
sought they never found. Their journey led them over 
deserts that gave them but little food and only a meager 
supply of water, and ended in disaster. 

The mesas are all rock and utterly barren, and their sup- 
plies are all brought from a distance over difficult trails. 
The water is carried in ollas by the women from springs at 
the foot of the mesa ; wood is packed on burros from distant 
forests ; and corn, melons and peaches are brought home by 
the men when they return from their work in the fields. A 
less active and industrious people, under similar circum- 
stances, would soon starve to death, but the Moquis are self- 
supporting and have never asked nor received any help from 
Uncle Sam. 

In the early morning the public crier proclaims in sten- 
torian tones from the housetop the program for the day, 
which sends everyone to his daily task. They are inured to 
labor and do not count work as a hardship. It is only by in- 
cessant toil that they succeed at all in earning a living with 
the scanty resources at their command, and the only surprise 
is that they succeed so well. There is scarcely an hour 

* The Gilded Man, by A. F. Bandelier, 1S93. 




MESA TRAIL WORN BY MOCCASINED FEET. 




MOQUI CORNFIELD, AVAL'-PI IN THE DISTANCE. 



THE MOOUI INDIANS 193 

during the day or night that men and women are not either 
coming or going on some errand to provision the home. 

The men travel many miles every day going to and from 
their work in the fields. If a man owns a burro he some- 
times rides, but usually prefers to walk. What the burro 
does not pack, the man carries on his back. He often sings 
at his work, just as the white man does in any farming com- 
munity, and his song sounds good. 

The burro is the common carrier and, because of his ster- 
ling qualities, is a prime favorite in all of the pueblos. If he 
has any faults they are all condoned except one, that of 
theft. If he is caught eating in a corn field he is punished 
as a thief by having one of his ears cut off ; and if the offense 
is repeated he loses his other ear in the same manner. 

The area of tillable land is limited and is found only in 
small patches, which cause the farms to be widely scattered. 
The soil is mostly sand which the wind drifts into dunes 
that sometimes cover and destroy the growing crops. The 
peach trees are often buried in sand or only their top bran- 
ches remain visible. There are no running streams of water 
and rains are infrequent. 

Corn is the principal crop and support of the Moquis. If 
there is a good crop the surplus is stored away and kept to 
be used in the future should a crop fail. The corn is planted 
in irregular hills and cultivated with a hoe. It is dropped 
into deep holes made with a stick and covered up. There 
is always enough moisture in the sand to sprout the seed 
which, aided by an occasional shower, causes it to grow and 
mature a crop. The corn is of a hardy, native variety that 
needs but little water to make it grow. The grain is small 
and hard like popcorn and ripens in several colors. 

It is carried home from the field by the men, and ground 
into meal by the women. The sound of the grinding is heard 



194 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

in the street and is usually accompanied by a song that sounds 
weird but musical. The meal is ground into different grades 
of fineness and when used for bread is mixed with water to 
form a thin batter which is spread by the hand upon a hot, 
flat stone. It is quickly baked and makes a thin wafer that 
is no thicker than paper. When done it is removed from the 
stone by the naked hand and is rolled or folded into loaves 
which makes their prized pici bread. It is said to be only 
one of fifty different methods which the Moquis have of pre- 
paring corn for the table, or about twice the number of styles 
known to any modern chef. 

The Moqui woman is favored above many of her sex who 
live in foreign lands. As a child she receives much attention 
and toys galore, as the parents are very fond of their children 
and devote much time to their amusement. They make dolls 
of their Katcinas which are given to the children to play 
with. A Katcina is the emblem of a deity that is represented 
either in the form of a doll carved out of wood, woven into 
a plaque or basket, or painted on tiles and pottery. There 
are between three and four hundred Katcina dolls each one 
representing a different divinity. When a doll is given to a 
child it is taught what it means, thus combining instruction 
with amusement. The method is a perfect system of kinder- 
garten teaching, which the Moquis invented and used centuries 
before the idea occurred to Froebel. 

When the girl is ten years old her education properly be- 
gins and she is systematically inducted into the mysteries of 
housekeeping. At fifteen she has completed her curriculum 
and can cook, bake, sew, dye, spin and weave and is, indeed, 
graduated in all the accomplishments of the finished Moqui 
maiden. She now does up her hair in two large coils or 
whorls, one on each side of the head, which is meant to re- 
semble a full-blown squash blossom and signifies that the 




NOTICE ON SNAKE KIVA, REQUESTING VISITORS TO BEHAVE. 




SNAKE PRIESTS, ORAIBI. 



THE MOQUI INDIANS 197 

wearer is of marriageable age and in the matrimonial market. 
It gives her a striking yet not unbecoming appearance, and, 
if her style of coiffure were adopted by modern fashion it 
would be something unusually attractive. As represented 
by Donaldson in the eleventh census report the handsome 
face of Pootitcie, a maiden of the pueblo of Sichomovi, makes 
a pretty picture that even her white sisters must admire. 
After marriage the hair is let down and done up in two hard 
twists that fall over the shoulders. This form represents a 
ripe, dried squash blossom and means fruitfulness. 

Her dress is not Spanish nor yet altogether Indian, but is 
simple, comfortable and becoming, which is more than can be 
said of some civilized costumes. She chooses her own hus- 
band, inherits her mother's name and property and owns the 
house in which she lives. Instead of the man owning and 
bossing everything, as he so dearly loves to do in our own 
civilization, the property and labor of the Moqui husband and 
wife are equally divided, the former owning and tending the 
fields and flocks and the latter possessing and governing the 
house. 

The Moquis are famous for their games, dances and festi- 
vals, which have been fully described by Dr. J. Walter Fevvkes 
in various reports to the Smithsonian Institution. They have 
many secret orders, worship the supernatural, and believe in 
witchcraft. Their great fete day is the Snake Dance, which 
is held in alternate years at Walpi and Oraibi, at the former 
place in the odd year and at the latter place in the even year, 
some time during the month of August. It is purely a reli- 
gious ceremony, an elaborate supplication for rain, and is de- 
signed to propitiate the water god or snake deity. 

Preliminary ceremonies are conducted in the secret Kiva 
several days preceding the public dance. The Kiva is an 
underground chamber that is cut out of the solid rock, and 



198 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

is entered by a ladder. It has but a single opening on top 
on a level with the street, which serves as door, window and 
chimney. The room is only used by the men, and is, in fact, 
a lodge room, where the members of the several secret or- 
ders meet and engage in their solemn ceremonials. It is a 
sacred place, a holy of holies, which none but members of a 
lodge may enter, and is carefully guarded. 

The snakes used in the dance are all wild, and captured 
out on the open plain. Four days prior to the dance the 
snake men, dressed in scanty attire and equipped with their 
snake-capturing paraphernalia, march out in squads and scour 
the surrounding country in search of snakes. One day each 
is spent in searching the ground towards the four points of 
the compass, in the order of north, west, south and east, re- 
turning at the close of each day with their catch to the Kiva, 
where the snakes are kept and prepared for the dance. The 
snakes caught are of several varieties, but much the largest 
number are rattlesnakes. Respect is shown for serpents of 
every variety and none are ever intentionally harmed, but the 
rattlesnake is considered the most sacred and is proportion- 
ately esteemed. Its forked tongue represents lightning, its 
rattle thunder and its spots rain-clouds. The number of 
snakes they find is surprising, as they catch from one to two 
hundred during the four days' hunt on ground that might be 
carefully searched by white men for months without finding 
a single reptile. 

The snake men are very expert in catching and handling 
serpents, and are seldom bitten. If one is bitten it is noth- 
ing serious, as they have a secret medicine which they use 
that is both prophylactic and curative, and makes them im- 
mune to the poison so that no harm ever results from a bite. 
The medicine is taken internally and also applied locally. 
Efforts have been made to discover its composition but with- 




THE SNAKE DANCE AT ORAIBI. 




WASHING CEREMONY, AFTER THE SNAKE DANCE 

Photo by F. I. Mousen. 



THE MOQUI INDIANS 201 

out success. If a snake is located which shows fight by the 
act of coiling it is tickled with a snake-whip made of eagle's 
feathers, which soon soothes its anger and causes it to un- 
coil and try to run away. It is then quickly and safely 
caught up and dropped from the hand into a bag carried for 
that purpose. 

Visitors who attend the dance are under no restrictions, 
but are free to come and go as they please, either sight- 
seeing or in search of curios. If the visitor has a supply 
of candy, matches and smoking-tobacco to give away he finds 
frequent opportunities to bestow his gifts. The children ask 
for " canty," the women want " matchi," and the men are 
pleased with a " smoke." 

On the morning of the dance both the men and women 
give their hair an extra washing by using a mixture of water 
and crushed soap-root. The white fibers of the soap-root get 
mixed with the hair, which gives it a tinge of iron gray. The 
children also get a bath which, because of the great scarcity 
of water, is not of daily occurrence. 

To the Moquis the snake dance is a serious and solemn 
affair, but to the visitors it is apt to be an occasion for fun 
and frolic. Owing to a misunderstanding of its true meaning, 
and because of misconduct in the past on similar occasions, 
notice is posted on the Kiva asking visitors to abstain from 
loud laughing and talking. In other words it is a polite re- 
quest made by the rude red man of his polished (.?) white 
brother to please behave himself. 

The dance begins late in the afternoon and lasts less than 
one hour, but while it is in progress the action is intense. 
The snakes are carried in a bag or jar from the Kiva to the 
Kisa, built of cotton-wood boughs on one side of the plaza, 
where the snakes are handed out to the dancers. After 
much marching and countermarching about the plaza, chant- 



202 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

ing weird songs and shaking rattles, the column of snake 
priests, dressed in a fantastic garb of paint, fur and feathers, 
halts in front of the Kisa and breaks up into groups of three. 
The carrier takes a snake from the Kisa puts it in his mouth 
and carries it there while dancing. Some of the more am- 
bitious young men will carry two or more of the smaller 
snakes at the same time. The hugger throws his left 
arm over the shoulder of the carrier and with his right hand 
fans the snake with his feather whip. The gatherer follows 
after and picks up the snakes as they fall to the ground. 

After the snakes have all been danced they are thrown into 
a heap and sprinkled with sacred corn meal by the young 
women. The scattering of the meal is accompanied by a 
shower of spittle from the spectators, who are stationed on 
convenient roofs and ladders viewing the ceremony. Fleet 
runners now catch up the snakes in handfuls and dash off in 
an exciting race over the mesa and down rocky trails to the 
plains below where the snakes are returned unharmed to their 
native haunts. 

While the men are away disposing of the reptiles the 
women carry out large ollas, or jars, filled with a black liquid, 
which is the snake medicine that is used in the final act of 
purification by washing. When the men return to the mesa 
they remove their regalias and proceed to drink of the snake 
medicine which acts as an emetic. With the remainder of 
the concoction, and assisted by the women, the}' wash their 
bodies free from paint. After the men are all washed and 
puked they re-enter the Kiva, where the long fast is broken by 
a feast and the formal ceremonies of the snake dance are 
ended. 

The snake dance is annually witnessed by many visitors 
who gather from different sections of the country and even 
foreign lands. As there are no hotels to entertain guests 





a ^■ 



Ch ^ 



g^ 



THE MOQUI INDIANS 205 

every visitor must provide his own outfit for conveyance, eat- 
ing and sleeping. Even water is scarce. Local springs 
barely furnish enough water to supply the native population ; 
and when the number of people to be supplied is increased 
from one to two hundred by the visitors who attend the 
dance, the water question becomes a serious problem. 

On the lower portion of the road which leads up from the 
spring to the gap at Walpi on the first mesa, the trail is 
over drifted sand which makes difficult walking. To remedy 
this defect in the trail, a path has been made of flat stones 
laid in the sand, which shows that the Moquis are quick to 
recognize and utilize an advantage that contributes to their 
convenience and comfort. 

The Santa Fe Pacific is the nearest railroad, which runs 
about one hundred miles south of the Moqui villages. The 
tourist can secure transportation at reasonable rates of local 
lii^erymen either from Holbrook, Winslow, Canon Diablo or 
Flagstaff. The trip makes an enjoyable outing that is full 
of interest and instruction from start to finish. 

Some years ago the government, through its agents, began 
to civilize and Christianize these Indians and established a 
school at Keam's Caiion, nine miles east of the first mesa, 
for that purpose. When the school was opened the requisi- 
tion for a specified number of children from each pueblo was 
not filled until secured by force. As free citizens of the 
United States, being such by the treaty made with Mexico 
in 1848 and, indeed, already so under a system of self- 
government superior to our own and established long before 
Columbus discovered America, they naturally resented any 
interference in their affairs but, being in the minority and 
overpowered, had to submit. 

When the object of the school was explained to them, they 
consented to receive secular instructions but objected to any 



206 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

religious teaching. They asked to have schools opened in 
the pueblos on the plan of our public schools where the 
children could attend during the day and return home at 
night, and their home life be not broken up, but their prayer 
was denied. 

The reservation school was opened for the purpose of 
instructing the Moqui children in civilization, but the results 
obtained have not been entirely satisfactory. The methods 
employed for enforcing discipline have been unnecessarily 
severe and have given dissatisfaction. As recently as the 
year 1903 the children of this inoffensive and harmless peo- 
ple were forcibly taken from their homes and put into the 
schools. The time selected for doing the dastardly deed was 
during the night in midwinter when the weather was cold 
and the ground covered with snow. Under the orders of 
the superintendent the reservation police made the raid with- 
out warning or warrant of any kind. While the people slept, 
the police entered their houses, dragged the little children 
from their comfortable beds and drove them naked out into 
the snow and cold, where they were rounded up and herded 
like cattle. 

The indignity and outrage of this and other similar acts 
have embittered the Moquis until they have lost what little 
respect they ever had for Christianity and ci\^lization. The 
pohcy of the government is to make them do whatever they 
do not want to do, to break up the family and scatter its 
members. The treatment has created two factions among 
the Moquis known as the " hostiles " who are only hostile in 
opposing oppression and any change in their religious faith 
and customs; and the " friendlies " who are willing to obey 
the boss placed over them and comply with his demands. 
' Religion is the dearest treasure of mankind, and when as- 
sailed always finds ready defenders. Possessed by this in- 




TOM POLAKI. 
Photo by F. I. Monseu. 




O.V THE MOQUI TK.VII, 



THE MOQUI INDIANS 209 

nate feeling of right and rankling with the injustice of the 
past, is it surprising that they should spurn any proffered 
help ? They remember what they have suffered in the past 
and do not care to repeat the experiment. To this day the 
Moquis hold the mission epoch in contempt and nothing 
could induce them to accept voluntarily any proposition that 
savored ought of the old regime. Every vestige of that 
period has been obliterated from the pueblos that nothing 
tangible should remain to remind them of their undeserved 
humihation. 

They are a highly religious people worshiping after their 
own creed, and are sincere and conscientious in their devo- 
tions. Almost everything they do has some religious signifi- 
cance and every day its religious observance. Their religion 
satisfies them and harms no one, then why not leave them in 
peace .-' We believe that we can benefit them, which is 
doubtless true, but might they not also teach us some useful 
lessons ? It would sometimes be more to our credit if we 
were less anxious to teach others, and more willing to learn 
ourselves. 

Next to their religion they love their homes most. The 
rocks upon which they live, are they not dear from associa- 
tions ? Is it not the land of their birth and the home of 
their fathers during many generations ? They cling with 
stubborn tenacity to their barren mesas and nothing thus far 
has succeeded in driving them away ; neither war, pestilence 
nor famine. Repeated attempts have been made to induce 
them to leave, but without success. 

Tom Polaki, the principal man of Tewa, was the first man 
to respond to the call to come down. He left the mesa 
several years ago, and went to the plain below to live. Hav- 
ing captured the bell wether it was presumed that the balance 
of the flock would soon follow, but the contrary proved to be 



210 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

true. At the foot of the bluff near a spring on the road that 
leads up to the gap Tom built a modern house and tried to 
imitate the white man. But the change did not suit him, 
and after living in his modern house for a number of years, 
he finally sold it and returned to his old home on the mesa. 
A few others at different times have tried the same experi- 
ment with no better success. The man would stay for a 
short time in the house provided for him, but never made it 
a permanent home for his family. 

That the Moquis are changing is best illustrated by refer- 
ence to one of their marriage customs. It is the custom when 
a youth contemplates matrimony to make a marriage blanket. 
He grows the cotton, spins the yarn and weaves the cloth, 
which requires a year or more of time to finish. Since the 
children have gone to school it is not deemed necessary for 
a young man to go to so much trouble and expense as to 
make a marriage blanket, but instead, he borrows one from 
a friend in the village, and after the ceremony is over returns 
it to the owner. Even now it is not easy to find such a 
blanket, and very soon they will be priceless as no more 
such garments will be made. 

The only reasonable explanation why any people should 
select a location like that of the Moquis is on the hypothesis 
of choice. There is much of the animal in human nature 
that is influenced by instinct, and man, like the brute, often 
unconsciously selects what is most congenial to his nature. 
Thus instinct teaches the eagle to nest on the highest crag 
and the mountain sheep to browse in pastures which only 
the hardiest hunter dare approach. For no better reason, 
apparently, do the Moquis occupy their barren mesas ; they 
simply prefer to live there above any other place. 

Safety has been urged as a motive for their conduct but 
it alone is not a sufficient reason for solving the problem. 



THE MOQUI INDIANS 211 

Their position is safe enough from attack but in the event 
of a siege their safety would only be temporary. With their 
scant water supply at a distance and unprotected they could 
not hold out long in a siege, but would soon be compelled 
either to fight, fly or famish. 

Again, if safety was their only reason for staying, they could 
have left long ago and had nothing to fear, as they have been 
for many years at peace with their ancient enemy the pred- 
atory Navajo. But rather than go they have chosen to re- 
main in their old home where they have always lived, and 
will continue to live so long as they are left free to choose. 

The modern iconoclast in his unreasonable devotion to 
realism has, perhaps, stripped them of much old time romance, 
but even with all of that gone, enough of fact remains to make 
them a remarkable people. Instead of seeking to change 
them this last bit of harmless aboriginal life should be spared 
and preserved, if possible, in all of its native purity and sim- 
plicity. 



212 ARIZONA SKETCHES 



CHAPTER XIV 



A FINE CLIMATE 



THE climate of Arizona as described in the local 
vernacular is " sure fine." 
The combination of elements which make the 
climate is unusual and cannot be duplicated elsewhere upon 
the American continent. The air is remarkably pure and 
dry. Siccity, indeed, is its distinguishing feature. That the 
climate is due to geographical and meteorological conditions 
cannot be doubted, but the effects are unexplainable by any 
ordinary rules. 

The region involved not only embraces Arizona, but also 
includes portions of California and Mexico and is commonly 
known as the Colorado Desert. Yuma, at the junction of 
the Gila and Colorado rivers, is approximately its geographical 
center. The general aspect of the country is low and flat 
and in the Salton sink the dry land dips several hundred feet 
below the level of the ocean. Only by extreme siccity is 
such land possible when more water rises in evaporation than 
falls by precipitation. There are but few such places in the 
world, the deepest one being the Dead Sea, which is about 
thirteen hundred feet lower than the ocean. 

The Colorado Basin is the dry bed of an ancient sea whose 
shore line is yet visible in many places upon the sides of the 




SAN FRANCISCO MOUNTAINS. 




CA.Ml'INC: OX THK COLORADO PLATEAU. 



A FINE CLIMATE 215 

mountains which surround it. Its floor is composed of clay 
with deposits of sand and salt. Strong winds sometimes 
sweep over it that shift and pile up the sand in great dunes. 
The entire region is utterly bare and desolate, yet by the use 
of water diverted from the Colorado river it is being reclaimed 
to agriculture. 

The rainfall is very scant the average annual precipita- 
tion at Yuma being less than three inches. The climate is 
not dry from any lack of surface water, as it has the Gila 
and Colorado rivers, the Gulf of California and the broad 
Pacific Ocean to draw from. But the singular fact remains 
that the country is extremely dry and that it does not rain as 
in other lands. 

Neither is the rainfall deficient from any lack of evapora- 
tion. Upon the contrary the evaporation is excessive and 
according to the estimate of Major Powell amounts fully to 
one hundred inches of water per annum. If the vapors aris- 
ing from this enormous evaporation should all be condensed 
into clouds and converted into rain it would create a rainy 
season that would last throughout the year. 

The humidity caused by an abundant rainfall in any low, 
hot country is usually enough to unfit it for human habita- 
tion. The combined effect of heat and moisture upon a fer- 
tile soil causes an excess of both growing and decaying vege- 
tation that fills the atmosphere with noxious vapors and 
disease producing germs. The sultry air is so oppressive 
that it is more than physical endurance can bear. The par- 
ticles of vapor which float in the atmosphere absorb and hold 
the heat until it becomes like a steaming hot blanket that is 
death to unacclimated life. All of this is changed where sic- 
city prevails. The rapid evaporation quickly dispels the vapors 
and the dry heat desiccates the disease creating germs and 
makes them innocuous. 



216 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

The effect of heat upon the body is measured by the dif- 
ference in the actual and sensible temperatures, as recorded 
by the dry and wet bulb thermometers. When both stand 
nearly together as they are apt to do in a humid atmosphere, 
the heat becomes insufferable. In the dry climate of Arizona 
such a condition cannot occur. The difference in the two 
instruments is always great, often as much as forty degrees. 
For this reason, a temperature of ii8° F. at Yuma is less 
oppressive than 98° F, is in New York. A low relative 
humidity gives comfort and freedom from sunstroke even 
when the thermometer registers the shade temperature in 
three figures. 

A dry, warm climate is a stimulant to the cutaneous func- 
tion. The skin is an important excreting organ that is fur- 
nished with a large number of sweat glands which are for 
the dual purpose of furnishing moisture for cooling the body 
by evaporation and the elimination of worn out and waste 
material from the organism. As an organ it is not easily in- 
jured by over work, but readily lends its function in an emer- 
gency in any effort to relieve other tired or diseased organs of 
the body. By vicarious action the skin is capable of perform- 
ing much extra labor without injury to itself and can be har- 
nessed temporarily for the relief of some vital part which has 
become crippled until its function can be restored. 

A diseased kidney depends particularly upon the skin for 
succor more than any other organ. When the kidneys from 
any cause fail to act the skin comes to their rescue and throws 
off impurities which nature intended should go by the renal 
route. For this reason diabetes and albuminuria, the most 
stubborn of all kidney diseases, are usually benefited by a 
dry, warm climate. The benefit derived is due to an increase 
of the insensible transpiration rather than to profuse perspira- 
tion. The air of Arizona is so dry and evaporation so rapid 




DEPOT HOTEL, YUMA. 




LAVA BEDS. 



A FINE CLIMATE 219 

that an increase in perspiration is scarcely noticeable except 
when it is confined by impervious clothing. The disagree- 
able feeling of wet clothes which accompanies profuse per- 
spiration in a damp climate is changed to an agreeable sensa- 
tion of coolness in a dry one. 

The atmosphere of Arizona is not only dry but also very 
electrical, so much so, indeed, that at times it becomes al- 
most painful. Whenever the experiment is tried, sparks can 
be produced by friction or the handling of metal, hair or 
wool. It affects animals as well as man, and literally causes 
" the hair to stand on end." The writer has on various oc- 
casions seen a string of horses standing close together at a 
watering-trough, drinking, so full of electricity that their 
manes and tails were spread out and floated in the air, and 
the long hairs drawn by magnetic attraction from one ani- 
mal to the other all down the line in a spontaneous effort to 
complete a circuit. There are times when the free electricity 
in the air is so abundant that every object becomes charged 
with the fluid, and it cannot escape fast enough or find " a 
way out " by any adequate conductor. The effects of such 
an excess of electricity is decidedly unpleasant on the nerves, 
and causes annoying irritability and nervousness. 

The hot sun sometimes blisters the skin and burns the 
complexion to a rich, nut-brown color, but the air always feels 
soft and balmy, and usually blows only in gentle zephyrs. 
The air has a pungent fragrance which is peculiar to the des- 
ert, that is the mingled product of a variety of resinous 
plants. The weather is uniformly pleasant, and the elements 
are rarely violently disturbed. 

In the older settled sections of our country, whenever 
there is any sudden or extreme change in the weather of 
either heat or cold, wet or dry, it is always followed by an 
increase of sickness and death. The aged and invalid, who 



220 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

are sensitive and weak, suffer mostly, as they feel every 
change in the weather. There is, perhaps, no place on earth 
that can boast of a perfect climate, but the country that can 
show the fewest and mildest extremes approaches nearest to 
the ideal. The southwest is exceptionally favored in its 
climatic conditions, and is beneficial to the majority of chronic 
invalids. 

Atmospheric pressure is greatest near the earth's surface, 
and exerts a controlling influence over the vital functions. 
Atmospheric pressure is to the body what the governor is to 
the steam engine, or the pendulum to the clock. It regu- 
lates vital action, insures safety and lessens the wear and tear 
of machinery. Under its soothing influence the number of 
respirations per minute are diminished, the heart beats de- 
creased in frequency, and the tired brain and nerves rested. 
It is often better than medicine, and will sometimes give re- 
lief when all other means fail. 

Arizona has a diversity of altitudes, and therefore furnishes 
a variety of climates. The elevations range from about sea 
level at Yuma to nearly thirteen thousand feet upon the San 
Francisco mountains. By making suitable changes in alti- 
tude to fit the season it is possible to enjoy perpetual spring. 

Because Arizona is far south geographically it is only natu- 
ral to suppose that it is all very hot, which is a mistake. In 
the low valleys of southern Arizona the summers are hot, 
but it is a dry heat which is not oppressive, and the winters 
are delightfully pleasant. In northern Arizona the winters 
are cold and the summers cool. There is no finer summer 
climate in the world than is found on the high plateaus and 
pine-topped mountains of northern Arizona. Prescott, Wil- 
liams and Flagstaff have a charming summer climate, while 
at Yuma, Phoenix and Tucson the winter weather is simply 
perfect. 




NAVAJO SHEPHERD. 




A NAVAJO COUKIER. 



A FINE CLIMATE 223 

A mountain residence is not desirable for thin, nervous 
people or such as are afflicted with any organic disease. A high 
altitude is too stimulating for this class of patients and tends 
to increase nervousness and aggravates organic disease. Such 
persons should seek a coast climate and a low altitude, which 
is sedative, rather than risk the high and dry interior. Any 
coast climate is better than the mountains for nervous people, 
but the Pacific Coast is preferable to any other because of 
its freedom from electrical storms and every other form of 
disagreeable meteorological disturbance that tries the nerves. 

The nervousness that is produced by a high altitude does 
not, as a rule, develop suddenly, but grows gradually upon 
the patient. Those of a sensitive nature feel it most and 
women more than men. After making a change from a low 
to a high altitude sleep may be sound for a tmie, but it soon 
becomes fitful and unrefreshing. 

It has been discovered that altitude increases the amount 
of hemoglobulin and thus enriches the blood and is particul- 
arly beneficial to pale, thin people. It also sharpens the 
appetite and promotes digestion and assimilation. 

Persons suffering from rheumatism, neuralgia, advanced 
pulmonary consumption, organic heart disease and all disor- 
ders of the brain and nerves should avoid a high altitude. 
Patients that are afflicted with any of the above-mentioned 
diseases are more comfortable in a low altitude and should 
choose between the coast of California and the low, dry lands 
of the lower Gila and Colorado rivers, according to the season 
of the year and the quality of climate desired. 

The diseases which are especially benefited by the climate 
of Arizona are consumption, bronchitis, catarrh and hay 
fever. Anyone going in search of health who has improved 
by the change should remain where the improvement took 
place lest by returning home and being again subjected to 



224 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

the former climatic conditions which caused the disease the 
improvement be lost and the old disease re-established with 
mcreased severity. 

Most sick people who are in need of a change live in a 
humid atmosphere where the winters are extremely cold 
and the summers uncomfortably hot, and to be benefited by 
a change must seek a climate in which the opposite condi- 
tions prevail. The climate of the southwest furnishes just 
wiiat such invalids require. The sick who need cold or 
damp weather, if there be any such, can be accomodated 
almost anywhere, but those who want a warm, dry climate 
must go where it can be found. Not every invalid who goes 
in search of health finds a cure, as many who start on such 
a journey are already past help when they leave home. When 
a case is hopeless the patient should not undertake such a 
tri]^, but remain quietly at home and die in peace among 
friends. 

As already intimated the climate of the Colorado basin is 
ideal in winter, but becomes very hot in summer. Its low 
altitude, rainless days, cloudless skies and balmy air form a 
combination that is unsurpassed and is enjoyed by all either 
sick or well. The heat of summer does not create sickness, 
but becomes monotonous and tiresome from its steady and 
long continuance. Many residents of the Territory who tire 
of the heat and can afford the trip take a vacation during the 
summer months and either go north to the Grand Canon and 
the mountains or to the Pacific Coast. Every summer wit- 
nesses a hegira of sun baked people fleeing from the hot 
desert to the mountains or ocean shore in search of coolness 
and comfort. 

Life in the tropics, perhaps, inclines to indolence and lan- 
guor, particularly if the atmosphere is humid, but in a dry 
climate like that of Arizona the heat, although sometimes 




WINNER OF THE FOOT RACE. 




STREET SCENE IN OLD TUCSON. 



A FINE CLIMATE 227 

great, is never oppressive or debilitating. It has its lazy- 
people like any other country and for the same reason that 
there are always some who were born tired and never outgrow 
the tired feeling, but Arizona climate is more bracing than 
enervating. 

The adobe house of the Mexican is a peculiar institution 
of the southwest. It may be interesting on account of its 
past history, but it is certainly not pretty. It is nothing 
more than a box of dried mud with its roof, walls and floor 
all made of dirt. It is never free from a disagreeable earthy 
smell which, if mingled with the added odors of stale smoke 
and filth, as is often the case, makes the air simply vile. The 
house can never be kept tidy because of the dirt which falls 
from the adobe, unless the walls and ceilings are plastered 
and whitewashed, which is sometimes done in the better class 
of houses. If the house is well built it is comfortable enough 
in pleasant weather, but as often as it rains the dirt roof 
springs a leak and splashes water and mud over everything. 
If by chance the house stands on low ground and is sur- 
rounded by water, as sometimes happens, after a heavy rain 
the walls become soaked and dissolved into mud when the 
house collapses. The adobe house may have been suited to 
the wants of a primitive people, but in the present age of im- 
provement, it is scarcely worth saving except it be as a relic 
of a vanishing race. 

In order to escape in a measure the discomforts of the 
midday heat the natives either seek the shade in the open air 
where the breeze blows, or, what is more common, close up 
tight the adobe house in the morning and remain indoors un- 
til the intense heat from the scorching sun penetrates the 
thick walls, which causes the inmates to move out. In the 
cool of the evening they visit and transact business and when 
the hour comes for retiring go to bed on cots made up out of 



228 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

doors where they sleep until morning, while the house is left 
open to cool off during the night. This process is repeated 
every day during the hot summer months and is endured 
without complaint. 

The natives, also, take advantage of the dry air to operate 
a novel method of refrigeration. The cloth covered army 
canteen soaked in water and the handy water jug of the 
eastern harvest field wrapped in a wet blanket are familiar 
examples of an ineffectual attempt at refrigeration by evapora- 
tion. But natural refrigeration find its bests illustration in 
the arid regions of the southwest by the use of an olla, which 
is a vessel made of porous pottery, a stout canvas bag or a 
closely woven Indian basket. A suitable vessel is selected, 
filled with water and suspended somewhere in midair in the 
shade. If it is hung in a current of air it is all the better, as 
any movement of the atmosphere facilitates evaporation. A 
slow seepage of water filters through the open pores of the 
vessel which immediately evaporates in the dry air and lowers 
the temperature. The water in the olla soon becomes cold 
and if properly protected will remain cool during the entire 
day. 

The dry air also acts as a valuable preservative. During 
the winter, when the weather is cool but not freezing, if fresh 
meat is hung out in the open air, it will keep sweet a long 
time. A dry crust soon forms upon its surface which her- 
metically seals the meat from the air and keeps it perfectly 
sweet. In the summer it is necessary to dry the meat more 
quickly to keep it from spoiling. It is then made into 
"jerky" by cutting it into long, thin strips and hanging 
them up in the sun to dry. After it is thoroughly dried, it is 
tied up in bags and used as needed, either by eating it dry 
from the pocket when out on a tramp, or, if in camp, serving 
it in a hot stew. 



A FINE CLIMATE 229 

Even the carcass of a dead animal that is left exposed 
upon the ground to decompose, does not moulder away by 
the usual process of decay, but what is left of the body after 
the hungry buzzards and coyotes have finished their feast, 
dries up into a mummy that lasts for years. 

Climate everywhere unquestionably influences life in its 
evolution, but it is not always easy to determine all of its 
effects in detail. In Arizona, which is but a comparatively 
small corner of our country, live several races of men that 
are as different from each other as nature could make them, 
yet all live in the same climate. 

The Pueblo Indian is in a manner civilized, peaceable and 
industrious. He is brave in self-defense, but never seeks war 
nor bloodshed. Quite different is his near neighbor, the 
bloodthirsty Apache, who seems to delight only in robbing 
and killing people. Cunning and revenge are pronounced 
traits of his character and the Government has found him 
difficult to conquer or control. The Mexican leads a shift- 
less, thriftless life and seems satisfied merely to exist. He 
has, unfortunately, inherited more of the baser than the bet- 
ter qualities of his ancestors, and, to all appearance, is des- 
tined to further degenerate. The American is the last comer 
and has already pushed civilization and commerce into the 
remotest corners and, as usual, dominates the land. 

As diverse as are these several races in many respects, 
each one of them furnishes splendid specimens of physical 
manhood. The Indian has always been noted for his fine 
physique, and is large bodied, well muscled and full chested. 
One advantage which the southwest has over other countries 
is that the climate is mild and favorable to an outdoor life, 
which is conducive to health and physical development. 

No single race of men flourish equally well everywhere, 
but each one is affected by its own surroundings ; and, what 



230 ARIZONA SKETCHES 

is true of a race, is also true of an individual. The pioneer 
in any country is always an interesting character, but he dif- 
fers in peculiarities according to his environment of moun- 
tain, plain or forest. Occupation also exerts an influence 
and in time develops distinct types like the trapper, miner, 
soldier and cowboy, that only the graphic pencil of a Rem- 
ington can accurately portray. The eccentricities of charac- 
ter which are sometimes met in men who dwell on the fron- 
tier are not always due alone to disposition, but are largely 
the product of the wild life which they live, that inclines 
them to be restless, reckless and even desperate. 

There is no better field for observing and studying the 
effects of environment upon human life than is furnished by 
the arid region of the southwest. 



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